Saturday, 7 June 2014

Module 1: The Hundred Dresses

Module 1: The Hundred Dresses



Book summary:
A young Polish girl named Wanda comes to school every day in the same faded, old dress yet she tells her classmates that she has one hundred dresses at home, all lined up in her closet and they ask questions about the dresses that none of them believes she has. It becomes a daily ritual until the day Wanda stops coming to school. A note from Wanda's father informs the school that he has moved himself, Wanda and Wanda's brother to the big city where they will not be ridiculed for their heritage or their names. At the same time, it is revealed that Wanda has won the class drawing contest with her one hundred beautiful drawings of dresses. As Maddie, the best friend of Wanda's main tormentor, comes to terms with how Wanda must have felt even though she never cried or said anything about it, the book ends with Maddie feeling deeply remorseful because while she didn't participate in the teasing, she did nothing to stop it either.

APA Reference of Book:
Estes, E. (1944). The hundred dresses. Orlando, FL: Harcourt, Inc.

Impressions:
Before I opened this book and began to read, the summary left me thinking that at the end, it would be Wanda I was feeling sad about, but actually by the end of the novel, it was Maddie and Peggy that left me feeling the worst. Wanda was so stoic in the face of all the tormenting and teasing and never resorted to the same level herself; she just played along with Peggy. The reader follows the story and Maddie's internal struggle between the fear of being teased as well or doing what is right nonetheless. By the time she realizes what should be done, it is too late and there is no chance to make amends for the consequences of her lack of action and on top of that, Maddie's guilt burns deeper when she realizes how closely Wanda was watching all of them, all along. The saddest part for me was that the gravity of the situation seems to have sailed right over Peggy's head. All she understood was the rebuke from the teacher and not the true consequences her actions had on Wanda and Wanda's family.
I would highly recommend this book. There are a number of important morals touched upon: compassion, bravery, and understanding and they are presented in a way that children of all ages can easily understand them. In a day and age where bullying in all its various forms is more prevalent than ever, The Hundred Dresses should be a required read for every child so that, they can see what one possible result of a seemingly harmless game of teasing can be.

Professional Review:

ESTES, Eleanor.  The Hundred Dresses.
illus. by Louis Slobodkin. Harcourt. 2004.
Gr 3-5-- Wanda Petronski is the target of Peggy's game of teasing and name-calling because her name is "funny," she comes to school with mud on her shoes, and she wears the same dress every day. Maddie says nothing to stop the teasing and realizes too late that she is also to blame. "She had stood by silently, and that was just as bad as what Peggy had done." A reissued classic with sensitive, evocative illustrations.


Ralston, J. (2005). [Review of the book The hundred dresses, by E. Estes]. School Library Journal, 51(5), 50. Retrieved from: www.slj.com

Library Uses:

Include the book in a display aimed towards parents and teachers who are looking for books to introduce difficult social topics to children (bullying, fitting in, etc.)

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