Are you real?

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It takes a long time to become real. Sometimes it is uncomfortable, and bits of your fur rub off. I am, of course, referring to Margery William's 1922 children's novel The Velveteen Rabbit. I read it first in a Family Circle Magazine over forty years ago. I also bought a shortened version. I even made small velveteen rabbits as gifts.This week one of the young people I work with needed something to read for a little while when he was stressed. We read the Scholastic Books version, published in 1990. It has a different illustrator. It is a calm book and this condensed version appears to seamlessly tell the longer story. The young man who has fallen in love with this book is ten years old. He is a bright young man who sees the world through the mind set of autism. I expected him to choose a book about legos or something else "boyish". He can tell me about every video game that has ever been. He knows what years the gaming systems were introduced. He really likes Mario and Luigi. He tells me he has a Mario "plushie". I asked him if his Mario is "real". He said "of course not". Briefly the story is about a soft stuffed rabbit that was given to a small boy. The simple rabbit became a favorite companion for the boy. The young boy became very ill with scarlet fever. When he recovered, all of his toys and bedding and books were burned, to prevent reinfection. When the toys etc. were burned the Nursery Fairy came for them. She made the Velveteen Rabbit "real" You become "real" when you are loved very much. This may be a good calming book all year.