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The Hundred Dresses | 
 enlarge | Author: Eleanor Estes
Creators: Louis Slobodkin, Helena Estes
Publisher: Sandpiper
Category: Book
Buy New: $7.00
New (48) Used (36) Collectible (1) from $1.49
Rating:  102 reviews
Sales Rank: 7256
Media: Paperback
Reading Level: Ages 9-12
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 96
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.3
Dimensions (in): 8.1 x 6.3 x 0.2
ISBN: 0152052607
EAN: 9780152052607
ASIN: 0152052607
Publication Date: September 1, 2004
Shipping: Eligible for Super Saver Shipping
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Amazon.com Review
Wanda Petronski lives way up in shabby Boggins Heights, and she doesn't have any friends. Every day she wears a faded blue dress, which wouldn't be too much of a problem if she didn't tell her schoolmates that she had a hundred dresses at home--all silk, all colors, and velvet, too. This lie--albeit understandable in light of her dress-obsessed circle--precipitates peals of laughter from her peers, and she never hears the end of it. One day, after Wanda has been absent from school for a few days, the teacher receives a note from Wanda's father, a Polish immigrant: "Dear teacher: My Wanda will not come to your school any more. Jake also. Now we move away to big city. No more holler Polack. No more ask why funny name. Plenty of funny names in the big city. Yours truly, Jan Petronski." Maddie, a girl who had stood by while Wanda was taunted about her dresses, feels sick inside: "True, she had not enjoyed listening to Peggy ask Wanda how many dresses she had in her closet, but she had said nothing.... She was a coward.... She had helped to make someone so unhappy that she had had to move away from town." Repentant, Maddie and her friend Peggy head up to Boggins Heights to see if the Petronskis are still there. When they discover the house is empty, Maddie despairs: "Nothing would ever seem good to her again, because just when she was about to enjoy something--like going for a hike with Peggy to look for bayberries or sliding down Barley Hill--she'd bump right smack into the thought that she had made Wanda Petronski move away." Ouch. This gentle Newbery Honor Book convincingly captures the deeply felt moral dilemmas of childhood, equally poignant for the teased or the tormentor. Louis Slobodkin, illustrator of the 1944 Caldecott Medalist Many Moons, brings his wispy, evocative, color-washed sketches to Eleanor Estes's time-proven classic about kindness, compassion, and standing up for what's right. (Ages 6 and older) --Karin Snelson
Product Description
Never out of print since its 1944 publication, this tender story offers readers of all ages a timeless message of compassion and understanding. At its heart is Wanda Petronski, an immigrant girl in an American school, who is ridiculed for wearing the same faded blue dress every day. When she tells her classmates that she has one hundred dresses at home, she unwittingly triggers a game of teasing that eventually ends in a lesson for all.
In restoring the reproduction of Louis Slobodkin's artwork, this new edition recaptures the original vivid color. And to celebrate the book's enhanced beauty, Helena Estes, the daughter of the author, has written a new letter to readers about the true story behind The Hundred Dresses.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 97 more reviews...
 Good book for teaching December 2, 2008
This book is a very good read for parents and children to talk about being nice to others, especially others who are different. It has some big words, but nothing too hard to explain. *Possible Spoiler* The ending is sad, so as a parent or teacher you want to be prepared to explain how things wont always end well. I would also advise reading it before hand so you know what's coming and how to best direct it to the child you are going to read to.
 Great book! November 19, 2008
I like this book, because it teaches you a good lesson. The lesson of this story is do not tease people because its hurtful. This book is like the Chalk Box Kid.
One Hundredth Reviewer - 100 Laudatory Words October 21, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
The lesson to be learned from this book is wonderful, poignant, marvelously expressed, and fascinating in the package. Though it was written long ago, it is timeless. The characters are just right for the theme, and the idea of 100 dresses fits the plot beautifully. Our Relief Society (worldwide women's organization) in Albuquerque, NM is collecting 100 dresses with the hope of lifting the hearts of 100 gals of a wide variety of ages and circumstances. This neat story was the inspiration, of course. It ranks right in there with the classics, Ginger Pye and Pinkie Pye, two other treasures.
An Ageless Tale October 15, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
The Hundred Dresses
I read The Hundred Dresses while I was growing up. Over the years I have often thought of poor Wanda, who wore the same shabby dress, every day to school.
Wanda claimed to have a hundred dresses, all beautiful and all lined up in her closet. Peggy would wait each morning to see Wanda coming from the poor-side-of-town. She would taunt her, "Wanda, tell us about your one hundred dresses. Maddie felt bad going along with Wanda, but she was poor herself and wearing Peggy's hand-me-downs. Maddie was afraid that if she said anything, the teasing would turn to her.
Wanda proudly described her one hundred dresses, the red one, the green one and the blue one. Each of the children wondered why Wanda wore the same dress each day, when she had so many beautiful dresses.
As a young girl from a large family, I wore hand-me-down clothing from others in my school or church. I could relate to Maddie, who didn't like the teasing, but was afraid to speak up.
For a church activity, the church women were given a copy of the book The Hundred Dresses. After reading the book, we would pass on our copy to the next person on the list. One month later, we had an activity where we brought in new or gently used dresses to donate to a women's shelter. The dresses were folded neatly, placed in large, sealed bags and marked with the size. These dresses will be donated to women, so they can look their best while job hunting.
We discussed this book, and how important it is to fit in. We also discussed the importance of acceptance.
Jill Ammon Vanderwood
author: Through the Rug
Through The Rug: Follow That Dog (Through the Rug)
Stowaway: The San Francisco Adventures of Sara, the Pineapple Cat
Wonderful Story August 18, 2008
This was a great book with a perfect lesson about bullying. I read it with my daughters aged 5, 7 and 9. They really got the lesson.
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