Module 2 - The Hundred Dresses

The Hundred Dresses by Eleanor Estes

Summary

Wanda Petronski did not have any friends. She wore the same worn blue dress every day to school.  Wanting to fit in, a she makes a comment to her classmates that she has one hundred dresses at home. Two classmates, Peggy and Maddie, made a point to pick on her and question her about all of the dresses.  One day, Wanda does not show up for school.  In her absence she has won a medal for her artwork: hundreds of dresses.  Wanda's dad sends a letter to the school saying that Wanda will not be returning.  They are moving to the big city where they will not stand out as "Polacks."  Peggy and Maddie feel guilty and go to Wanda's house to look for her.  They find that she has moved away.  They write a letter telling Wanda about the contest and telling her that she won.  They also tell her that they liked her drawings.  The mail it to her old home and hope the postal service forwards the letter.  When Wanda response finally arrives, the girls learn a valuable lesson in friendship.  

Estes, E. (1944). The hundred dresses. Orlando, Florida: Harcourt Brace & Company.

My Impressions

The Hundred Dresses was written in 1944, but the story remains relevant today.  Schools continue to have anti-bullying campaigns.  This story shows the pain a child can experience from the unkindness that children can extend to each other, and it also shows how the bullies feel when they realize what they have done.  I felt really bad for Wanda, but I like how the author gave empowered her by forgiving her tormentors.  

Reviews:

"The first book is the classic The Hundred Dressesby Eleanor Estes. It was published in 1944 and tells the story of a quiet Polish girl named Wanda Petronski who is mercilessly mocked by the girls at school for a variety of reasons: She lives in a poor section of town, she has what kids think is a funny-sounding last name, and she wears the same faded blue dress every day. Wanda yearns to find acceptance and insists that she has 100 beautiful dresses at home — dresses that she designed herself. Her insistence just brings more laughter and teasing. No one believes a child with such finery in her closet would choose to wear rags to school. There is a student named Maddie who is very uncomfortable with the daily chorus of taunts; she knows it's wrong, but she says nothing and goes along with the crowd.

One day, Wanda does not show up at school. Instead, her father sends a simple note:

Dear teacher: My Wanda will not come to your school anymore ... 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

It's only then that the students learn the real story behind those 100 dresses in a twist that will resonate in young hearts for years. The Hundred Dresses is a favorite book in the classroom — teachers use it to spark discussions about bullies, bystanders and compassion. All Things Considered discussed The Hundred Dresses in a segment on books that help parents ease children through some of life's challenges. Caroline Ward of Ferguson Library in Stamford, Conn., says the book provides a powerful lesson about the remorse that settles in when a student misses an opportunity to say "I'm sorry."

Eleanor Estes attended elementary school during World War I, and she told her own daughter that she was inspired by a Polish girl in her Connecticut classroom who wore the same dress to school every day. Estes said she never forgot the little girl who was treated so badly and who, like Wanda Petronski, moved to the big city midway through the school year."

Norris, M. (2012, January 26). [Web log message]. Retrieved from       http://www.npr.org/2012/01/26/145841795/kids-book-club-shooting-kabul-and-the-hundred-dresses

"Classic titles return in time for the gift-giving season. For a new generation of readers, Eleanor Estes's long-treasured title, The Hundred Dresses (1944), illus. by Louis Slobodkin, appears in its 60th anniversary finery with newly ""restored color"" in the artwork. Wanda faces mockery at school, both because of her ""funny"" last name (Petron-ski) and her claims that she has 100 dresses at home even though she wears the same one to school each day." 

The hundred dresses. (2004, September 01). Retrieved from      http://www.publishersweekly.com/978-0-15-205170-9

Suggestions for Use in Library

Before reading the book:

Have a class contest similar to the one in the book.  Give each student two entry forms. The students may enter in either or both categories: dresses or motorboats.  Set guidelines for the students or let them use any medium they wish for the contest: marker, crayon, pencil, watercolor, construction paper, etc.

Display the motorboats in one area of the classroom and the dresses in another.  Ask other teachers to help you choose the best entries.  Award prizes to the first-, second-, and third-place winners of the contest.  Prizes may be awarded for categories such as most interesting design or most eye-catching.

After reading the book:

Create a Talk Show – For this type of report the students will need to work in groups of three or four. They will be creating a skit in the form of a talk show.  The hosts of the talk show can be Maddie, Peggy, and/or Wanda.  Other characters (such as Miss Mason, the principal, Mr. Svenson, and the other students in room 13) may be included in the panel.  Students will write a script for the talk show and cover the injustices, feelings, and actions of those people who played a large role or watched the events of the story unfold.

Allen-Russell, S. (1998). A guide for using the hundred dresses in the classroom.      Westminster, CA: Teacher Created Resources, Inc.