Children's Book Research Analysis: The Velveteen Rabbit

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the love between the boy and his rabbit through the illustrations in the book.

The illustrations in the book have the same themes as the book itself has. The drawings are strikingly realistic. Each picture of the boy and even the rabbit look like photographs rather than drawings. I believe the author and illustrator worked together to convey this because of the theme in the story of realism. Because the rabbit believes he is real as well as the boys love for the bunny and his imagination being real, the illustrations go hand in hand with the story. When looking at the pictures of the bunny when he is only made of velvet, versus when he is turned into a real bunny, they don’t look that much different. I believe this was done on purpose because it is reflecting how the boy sees the bunny. If you look closely at the velveteen rabbit in each picture, his eyes change based on his emotions. You can see expressions of happiness, fright, and sadness in his eyes and facial expressions like a real person or animal would have. Another aspect of the illustrations that I noticed was how magic was displayed in the book. Magic when the boy was dreaming, and also when the fairy comes along, is depicted by little stars. Often in Disney movies and other animated films this is the way that magic is displayed. It relates the familiarity of this in film to a book. It is able to make the child aware of what is happening on the page without reading the words. The little stars and bright lights are generically what magic is for children. The last aspect of the illustrations that I noticed is in the colors. The colors change based on the mood of the characters at the time. The brighter colors are when the boy and bunny are happy together, and the darker colors on the pages are when the bunny is frightened or sad. This helps children as they are reading identify the mood of the book at that moment. It also varies the book in the colors that are being displayed to make children feel the mood for themselves. To be happy with the boy and his bunny, and to be sad when the bunny has to be thrown away. The pictures can also appeal to parents in the way that because they are so realistic, it makes them appealing for all ages to look at. This book also forces parents to feel the emotions of the story through the illustrations as they read with their child.

This children’s book was undoubtedly one of my favorite stories to read as a child. It left me with a rush of emotions and allowed me to connect with it on such a personal level. The book has just the right level of suspense in it to make a child want to read further. It shows that the power of love has the ability to make things real. It also allows children to let their imagination flourish and shows them that it is okay to let go of things sometimes. This book shows powerful lessons and underlying ideas that appeal to a child and whoever is reading it with them.