The Velveteen Rabbit Turns 100: A Bunny Booklist

The Velveteen Rabbit turns 100

There was once a velveteen rabbit . . .

Once upon a time, there were three little rabbits and their names were. . .

In your head did you just hear “Flopsy, Mopsy, Cottontail, and Peter? (If your head is like mine, it was probably with a nice British accent!) Rabbits are beloved characters in children’s literature, and at our staff retreat, we started listing out all our favorite children’s books with rabbits. In addition to The Velveteen Rabbit, here are some of our favorite rabbit stories.

PICTURE BOOKS —A Bunny Booklist

Flora’s Surprise by Debi Gliori —Flora’s older siblings are busy planting vegetables, flowers, and even humble sprouts. Flora wants to plant something too, so she plants a brick, expecting it to grow into a house.

Here are some more of our favorite rabbit picture books. Some are great board books, too!

• Battle Bunny
• If You Plant a Seed
• Rabbit and Robot
• Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter
• Bunny and Me by Adele Aron Greenspun (a favorite of Hayley’s younger siblings when they were very little!)
• White Rabbit’s Color Book by Alan Baker
• Guess How Much I Love You by Sam McBratney
• Home for a Bunny by Margaret Wise Brown
• The Runaway Bunny by Margaret Wise Brown
• Marshmallow by Clare Turlay Newberry (one of the first books Hayley remembers being read, with lovely illustrations!)

BOOKS WITH CHAPTERS

• *Lulu and the Rabbit Next Door by Hilary McKay
• El Deafo
• Podkin One-Ear
• Because of the Rabbit
• *The Green Ember by S. D. Smith
• Mr. and Mrs. Bunny: Detectives Extraordinaire! by Mrs. Bunny, translated from the Rabbit by Polly Horvath
• The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo (a retro reads post where it is compared with Velveteen Rabbit)
• Shadrach by Meindert Dejong (out of print, but a lovely story)
• Rabbit Hill by Robert Lawson
• The Long Patrol and Lord Brocktree by Brian Jacques (rabbits, or I should say “hares” feature as main characters in these Redwall novels, from Jacques’ excellent animal fantasy series.
• Watership Down —LOTR with rabbits . . . need we say more?

Did we miss any? Comment with your favorites!

Also at Redeemed Reader:

• Resources: for another, animal themed booklist, see Our Favorite Mice.
• Reflection: Getting to Know Beatrix Potter (1866 – 1943)