I like Eleanor Estes because she is one of those writers whose books are entirely different from each other. You know how some authors get into a rut and every book is pretty much the same? The Hundred Dresses, although a children’s classic, is entirely differently written than Ginger Pye. It is such a sad little story, but does redeem itself in the end.
It’s the tale of Wanda Petronski, a poor little girl from up on Boggins Heights, who becomes the butt of her classmates’ jokes when she announces that she is the owner of one hundred dresses. Wanda wears the same dress to school everyday, so she must be making that up, right? Maddie and Peggy are two girls in her class who are especially mean to Wanda, mocking her in front of all the other girls. Their meanness comes back to haunt them, though, when the school art show comes around. Expecting to win because she is, after all, the best artist in the class, Peggy is stunned when the actual winner of the show is announced. Entered into the art contest are over one hundred drawings of the most beautiful, creative dresses she has ever seen. And they were drawn by none other than Wanda Petronski.
This book was a read-aloud book for Mary Anneliese. I read it to her over the course of a week. I knew she would love it when I suggested she draw several dresses to be included in our art show at the end of our school year.
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