The Velveteen Rabbit Story

The Velveteen Rabbit Story ~ Bedtime English Story for
Kids

The Velveteen Rabbit - Bedtime English Story for Kids

This is the Fairy Tale story of the Velveteen Rabbit, or How Toys Became Real. It is brought
to you by Stories to Grow by.
Watch our Storytelling Video

A soft and fluffy Velveteen Rabbit lived in a toybox in a Boy's
room. Each day, the Boy opened the toybox and picked up
Velveteen Rabbit. And Velveteen Rabbit was happy.
Then newer, brighter toys came into the toybox. They had special
tricks. Some could move when the Boy pushed a button. Others
bounced high. Velveteen Rabbit had no special tricks or
buttons. No wonder the Boy started to choose these other new
toys.

Thanks to Ella, 12, Windsor CO

At night, when the toys were back all in the toy box, the other toys
talked with pride about the fine things they could do. Velveteen
Rabbit was quiet. There was not much to say.
Only one other toy in the toy box was like Velveteen
Rabbit. Cowboy Horse was also a soft, fluffy toy. But he was
old. Most of his hair was worn away. He had only one eye left.

Thanks to Josh, 13, Windsor CO

Cowboy Horse said to Velveteen Rabbit, “Soft toys like us are really
the lucky ones. We get loved the most. And when soft toys get
loved and loved, we can become Real.”
“What is Real?” said Velveteen Rabbit.
“Being Real is the best," said Skin Horse. "You can move when you
want to move. When you are Real, if you are loved, you can show
your love back.”
One day Nana, who took care of the Boy, flew open the lid of the toy
box. She said in a busy tone, “Oh, dear! That walking doggie is
missing. I must find something else for the Boy!” In a second,
Velveteen Rabbit was plopped down onto the bed with the Boy.

Thanks to Josh, 13, Windsor CO

This began another happy time for Velveteen Rabbit. Each night
the Boy would hold Velveteen Rabbit close in his arms. In the
morning, the Boy would show Velveteen Rabbit how to make rabbit
holes under the sheets. If the Boy went outside to a picnic, or to the
park, Velveteen Rabbit would come with him, too.
After awhile, with the hugging and holding, much of Velveteen
Rabbit’s fur got matted down. Its pink nose grew less pink with all
the Boy’s kisses. But Velveteen Rabbit did not care. It was happy.

One day the Boy became sick. His forehead got very hot. The
doctor came and went. Nana walked back and forth in fear. Day
after day, the Boy stayed in bed. There was nothing for Velveteen
Rabbit to do but to stay in bed, too, day after day.
Then at last, the Boy got better. Such joy in the house! The doctor
said the Boy must go to the shore. How wonderful! thought
Velveteen Rabbit. Many times the Boy had talked happily about the
shore, and told of its white sands and big blue ocean.
“What about this old bunny?” Nana asked the doctor.

Thanks to Cooper, 12, Windsor CO

“That old thing?” said the doctor. “It’s full of scarlet fever
germs. Burn it at once! Get him a new bunny.”
So Velveteen Rabbit was thrown into a sack along with the Boy's
bed sheets and old clothes and a lot of junk. The sack was carried to
the backyard. The gardener was told to burn the whole thing.
But the gardener was too busy with picking the beans and peas
before nightfall, so he left the sack behind. “I will take care of it
tomorrow,” he said. The sack was not tied at the top, and Velveteen
Rabbit fell out. The next day when the gardener picked up the sack
to take it away to be burned, Velveteen Rabbit was not in it.
Then it started to rain. Velveteen Rabbit was sad. So far away from
the Boy, never again to be nice and cozy together, and now soaking

wet! A tear fell from Velveteen Rabbit’s eye, over his cheek. It
plopped onto the grass.
All at once, at the spot where the tear fell, a flower grew up. Then
the bud of the flower opened. A tiny Fairy!

Thanks to Ava, 12, NC

“Little Rabbit,” said the Fairy. “Do you know who I am?”
“I wish I did,” said Velveteen Rabbit.
“I am the Fairy that takes care of toys that are well loved,” said the
Fairy.
By then, Velveteen Rabbit was shabby and gray. The boy had loved
off all of its whiskers. The pink lining in the ears had long turned
grey. Its brown spots, once fresh and bright, were now faded and
hard to see.
“It is time now for me to make you Real,” said the Fairy.
“I think I remember Real,” said Velveteen Rabbit. Now, what was it
Cowboy Horse had said? Ah yes. When you are Real, you can move
when you want to move. If you are loved, you can love back.
With one touch of the Fairy’s wand, Velveteen Rabbit felt
different. Tickly. All of a sudden, each one of its two legs sewn
together tight, could move!

Thanks to Hugo, 12

A fly landed on Velveteen Rabbit’s head and it was itchy. As quick
as a wink, that foot was up at the Velveteen Rabbit’s head to scratch
it off.
“So this is being Real"! “I can move when I want to move!”
“I will show you some new friends,” said the Fairy. And the Fairy
took Velveteen Rabbit where several rabbits ran and hopped
about. Soon they were all great friends.

Thanks to Hannah, 13, Windsor CO

Time went by. The Boy was back from the shore. He was all better
now.
One day, the Boy went to the backyard to play. From the trees
nearby, a few rabbits hopped out. One rabbit was brown all over,
and another one was all white. A third rabbit had brown spots,
most of them faded. That one hopped the closest to the Boy.

Thanks to Kendall, 12, Windsor CO

The Boy thought, "Why, this rabbit looks just like my old Bunny that
was lost when I was sick. I loved that Bunny!"
What he didn't know was that it was his very own Bunny, come back
to see the boy. For he was the reason the Velveteen Rabbit had
become Real.