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    The Hundred Dresses, by Eleanor Estes | Book Review

    Bianca SchulzeBy Bianca Schulze3 Mins Read Ages 4-8 Ages 9-12 Best Kids Stories Books with Girl Characters Chapter Books Social Emotional
    The Hundred Dresses by Eleanor Estes Book Review
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    Book Review of The Hundred Dresses
    The Children’s Book Review

    The Hundred Dresses: Book Cover

    The Hundred Dresses

    Written by Eleanor Estes

    Illustrated by Louis Slobodkin

    Ages 7+ | 96 Pages

    Publisher: Clarion Books | ISBN-13: 978-0152051709

    What to Expect: Kindness, Bullying, and Inclusivity

    Eleanor Estes wrote 19 children’s books and one novel for adults. Published in 1945, Estes’ The Hundred Dresses won the Newbery Honor, has never been out of print, and has remained a beloved classic ever since. Its message about empathy and kindness still resonates today.

    People can be mean sometimes. They can say hurtful things. So it’s up to us to stand up for what’s right! Wanda Petronski is Polish, her family is poor, and she has no friends. The fact that she talks with an accent immediately sets her apart from the other girls at her Connecticut school. Can you imagine attending class and feeling like you don’t fit in?

    The other kids see that she wears the same faded blue dress every day, and they begin to tease her, so Wanda tells them she has one hundred beautiful dresses at home that she wears for special occasions. Of course, it’s not true, and none of the girls believe her, and it only makes them taunt her more. Maddie, one of the school girls, knows the teasing is not okay, but she does not speak out because she is afraid that others will turn against her.

    It isn’t until Wanda is removed from school by her parents that the girls feel remorse. Maddie decides that she will always speak out in the future. Wanda’s story reminds us to be compassionate and kind and to stand up for one another.

    The Hundred Dresses is a book you will remember reading forever; you’ll never forget how Wanda was made to feel!

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    About the Author

    ELEANOR ESTES (1906-1988), a children’s librarian for many years, launched her writing career with the publication of The Moffats in 1941. Two of her books about the Moffats are Newbery Honor books, as is The Hundred Dresses. She won the Newbery Medal for Ginger Pye in 1952.

    What to Read Next If You Love The Hundred Dresses

    Pinky Pye, by Eleanor Estes

    The Middle Moffat, by Eleanor Estes

    Rufus M., by Eleanor Estes

    The Invisible Boy, by Trudy Ludwig 

    Bianca Schulze reviewed The Hundred Dresses. Discover more books like The Hundred Dresses of Meatballs by reading our reviews and articles tagged with Bullying, Chapter Books, Inclusivity, and Kindness.

    What to Read Next:

    1. Charlotte’s Web, by E.B. White | Book Review
    2. Books About Girls | Five Family Favorites with Claudia Mills
    3. Bullying Books: Best Novels & Non-Fiction on Bullies | Kids Ages 8-14
    4. Interview with Sandhya Sameera Pillalamarri About The Name Soup

    *Disclosure: Please note that this post may contain affiliate links that share some commission. Rest assured that these will not affect the cost of any products and services promoted here. Our team always provides their authentic opinion in all content published on this site.

    Books About Lying Bullying Chapter Books Clarion Books Classics Eleanor Estes Inclusivity Kindness Louis Slobodkin Telling the Truth Books
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    Bianca Schulze
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    Bianca Schulze is the founder of The Children’s Book Review. She is a reader, reviewer, mother and children’s book lover. She also has a decade’s worth of experience working with children in the great outdoors. Combined with her love of books and experience as a children’s specialist bookseller, the goal is to share her passion for children’s literature to grow readers. Born and raised in Sydney, Australia, she now lives with her husband and three children near Boulder, Colorado.

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