One Hundred Dresses, by Eleanor Estes

jeanlake · ‎03-10-2010

I read this book in 4th Grade and it changed me. Dad was in WW2. Did anyone else read a memorable book in childhood that helped to make them a better person?

The Hundred Dresses is a 1944 children's book by Eleanor Estes, illustrated by Louis Slobodkin. In the book, a young Polish girl named Wanda Petronski goes to a school in an American town, in Connecticut, where the other children see her as "different" and mock her. Wanda claims to own one hundred dresses. Because she was poor and wore the same, old dresses, she was bullied to the point her dad took her out of the school.

After an earlier drawing contest, the teacher displayed Wanda's one hundred beautiful dress designs. Students who teased her felt remorse and wanted her to know this, but they were not sure how. They decided to write her a kind letter and send it to her old address, hoping the post office can forward it. Unfortunately, she had already moved away and does not realize she won the contest. Wanda's lovely nature and kind heart are revealed later when she told the teacher to give the students the drawings.

"I took a walk in the woods and came out taller than the trees." Henry David Thoreau

sunala · ‎03-09-2010

@jeanlake wrote:
I read this book in 4th Grade and it changed me. Dad was in WW2. Did anyone else read a memorable book in childhood that helped to make them a better person?

The Hundred Dresses is a 1944 children's book by Eleanor Estes, illustrated by Louis Slobodkin. In the book, a young Polish girl named Wanda Petronski goes to a school in an American town, in Connecticut, where the other children see her as "different" and mock her. Wanda claims to own one hundred dresses. Because she was poor and wore the same, old dresses, she was bullied to the point her dad took her out of the school.

After an earlier drawing contest, the teacher displayed Wanda's one hundred beautiful dress designs. Students who teased her felt remorse and wanted her to know this, but they were not sure how. They decided to write her a kind letter and send it to her old address, hoping the post office can forward it. Unfortunately, she had already moved away and does not realize she won the contest. Wanda's lovely nature and kind heart are revealed later when she told the teacher to give the students the drawings.

@jeanlake- I'm pretty sure I read this book, as it sounds quite familiar. I know I've read Eleanor Estes. When I was a young girl, I read Rufus M., written by Eleanor Estes. I loved this book and read it over and over and over. I loved the illustrations, which I remember to be drawn with a fine tip pen with lots of curlicues. Thanks for the memories!

"That's a great first pancake."
Lady Gaga, to Tony Bennett

insomniac2 · ‎02-20-2016

I loved Eleanor Estes' Moffat books. I read them repeatedly, and have owned them for a few decades.

I love the story (from The Middle Moffat) where Jane is having an unbelievably great day. Later it is found that she had accidentally put her dress (I believe) on inside-out, which is supposed to bring luck. (Of course, this needs to be done purely by accident.)

I also remember One Hundred Dresses: what a great title! How could a little girl resist that notion?