The Velveteen Rabbit at 100

A collection of 13 critical examinations of The Velveteen Rabbit, written by different scholars and analyzing the work through different lenses. This analysis gives readers a deeper appreciation of a beloved classic and serves to bring it to the modern era. For example, in a chapter titled “The Disabled Toy Made ‘Real’ as an Eternally Abled Rabbit,” the authors critically analyze the ambiguous messages around disabled and abled bodies in The Velveteen Rabbit. The rest of the chapters focus on other facets and messages of the classic. Through interpretation, this work can stand as an example of 13 critical conversations to have with students and is also an example of how perspective changes reading of a text. Additionally, global perspectives included in this work can illustrate how places and values influence texts. This work can be readily applied in graduate classrooms; because of the deeply academic tone, K–12 educators will need to use it as a starting place to think about how these discussions could be carried out with students. Professional educators will be inspired by new and forward-thinking ways to share The Velveteen Rabbit with students.