The Velveteen Rabbit
Read The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams in Dutch and English, a parallel text graded reader with audio. Available in CEFR levels A2 and B1.
About this book
One Christmas a velveteen rabbit arrives in the nursery, plump and splendid for a moment, then set aside among the fancier toys that think themselves superior. What he learns comes from the Skin Horse, the oldest and shabbiest toy in the room, who explains the strange arithmetic of the place. "When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become Real." And being loved, the Skin Horse warns, means your hair gets loved off and your joints go loose — and none of it matters, except to people who don't understand.
Available editions
Read a sample
Er was eens een fluwelen konijn.
Once there was a velveteen rabbit.
Aan het begin was hij echt prachtig.
At the beginning, he was really wonderful.
Hij was dik en rond, precies zoals een konijn moet zijn.
He was fat and round, just like a rabbit should be.
Zijn vacht was bruin en wit, met vlekken.
His coat was brown and white, with spots.
Hij had echte snorharen van draad.
He had real thread whiskers.
Zijn oren waren van binnen bekleed met roze satijn.
His ears were lined with pink sateen.
Op eerste kerstdag zat hij ’s ochtends bovenin de kous van de Jongen.
On Christmas morning, he sat at the top of the Boy’s stocking.
History
- Written by Margery Williams in English
- Adapted by Line by Line Publishing in 2026