When I was first learning to read one of my favorite stories was the book The Hundred Dresses by Eleanor Estes. I recently reread it and found myself surprised by its timeless quality. The message of acceptance is universal and even kids today can relate to the girls in this story.
Wanda is different from the other girls. She has a last name that is hard to pronounce, lives in the poor part of town and only wears one faded blue dress to school. One day Wanda approaches a group of girls admiring the new dress of a girl from class and Wanda mentions that she has 100 dresses in her closet all lined up. Of course Wanda’s fellow students do not believe her because she one wears the one and she becomes an object of scorn by her fellow classmates. The other girls make a game out of Wanda and her 100 dresses asking everyday, “How many dresses do you have,Wanda?”
There is one girl, Maddie, who has guilt about her treatment of Wanda. Though she never says anything during the Dresses Game, she still feels bad. Maddie realizes that by simply being a bystander, she has contributed to the hurt of another person. Maddie vows never to allow the girls to tease Wanda again.
A week later at school the drawing contest results are announced and Wanda is the winner. She drew 100 different dresses and they are all beautifully lined up along the classroom walls. All of Wanda’s fellow pupils realize that Wanda did have 100 dresses all lined up in her closet. They marvel at her creativity even though she only owned one real dress.
What I love best about this story is the capability of Maddie. She comes to her conclusions all on her own. There are no major adults featured and it is the children who champion their own causes. And I love the inventiveness of Wanda. She knows adversity and still continues to try her best at life. I remember after reading The Hundred Dresses, I made my own drawings of dresses so that I too could own 100 dresses all neatly lined up in my own closet. I recommend this book to all second grade girls because of its relevancy and adaptability.