In a 1925 essay, "Our Youngest Critics," Margery Williams Bianco claimed to derive great satisfaction in writing for children because they are both "deeply appreciative and highly critical." Although she wrote in several genres and for adolescent and adult audiences as well, her reputation rests almost completely on one book for children, The Velveteen Rabbit; or How Toys Become Real (1922), which celebrates the love and loyalty of a child for his stuffed rabbit and the idea that only through love can people become truly alive. Most of her other books, including Winterbound (1936), for which she received the Newbery Honor Medal, are seldom read.

Born in London on 22 July 1881, the younger of two daughters, Margery Williams was introduced to literature at an early age by her father, a barrister and distinguished classical scholar. He believed that children should learn to read early and then be allowed to follow their own...