The Hundred Dresses
By: Eleanor Estes
Illustrated By:
Louis Slobodkin
"Wanda, tell
us. How many dresses did you say you had
hanging up in your closet?" asked Peggy
"A
hundred," said Wanda. "all
lined up."
This is a line from
the amazing empowering book written for young girls on the effects of bullying;
as well as, not standing up for someone that is being bullied. This "game," which is really Wanda
being bullied, started because one girl wanted to fit in with all of the other
girls who had nice clothes and new dresses.
However, the girls never let Wanda live it down and would constantly
make fun of her. However, because Wanda
wanted to be apart of the group so badly she would continue to play along. At the end of the book the girls realize how
bad they were making fun of Wanda but it may just be too late for them to fix
it.
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| The Hundred Dresses |
In this book a young
girl who is never specifically made fun of Wanda struggles with the idea of
stopping Peggy from making fun of Wanda and that is what I love about this book
so much. It really goes into the idea that not stopping a bully and playing a long can
be just as bad and damaging as being the bully.
I think this is a great book that every single person can relate to. At one point or another someone has been
bullied, bullied someone else, watched someone get bullied, or played along in
order to fit in and it is so sad that I can say "EVERYONE" and feel
confident in my statement. This just
does not have to happen. If teachers and
parents show that it is unacceptable to bully others, no matter what the
reasoning behind it then it will decline drastically. There are just too many incidences with
bullying now and how much the students are affected by it. No one should ever take their life because
they have been bullied too much.
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| How the "game" began! |
So teachers or
parents, if you are having a bullying problem or just want to bring up the
issue to educate your students think of this book! It is a great book to read that has a great
plot, is interesting to read, discuses the issues behind bullying on a wide
spectrum, and has awesome illustrations.
The book did have a few stereotypes but the author used them in a way
that I felt was acceptable to the purpose of the story. There were also a lot of excellent vocabulary
words for the students reading this book to learn! Overall, I loved this book and am so glad I
read it. It is on the top seller list
for a reason!
This sounds like a very interesting book and a great read. I think it would be ideal to use in a classroom, because of the morals it uses. I really like the images as well; they are different and intriguing to look at. It would be a great book to read to elementary children when bullying arises, because it shows that it's not okay to bully, partake in bullying, or watching bullying happen. This really does sound like a wonderful book!
ReplyDeleteThis book is exactly what I am looking for to read to my daughter. She is in fourth grade and there is a bit of bullying going on. This book looks like it could illustrate the importance of bullying and standing up for what is right. I do like the illustrations and the message it will put out with picture and the words seem to speak for themselves. This is a book I will look for next time at the library.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like an excellent book to read to students. I agree with you that everyone has had experience with a bully, and that is sad. But this book could be used to bring awareness to the problem of bullies, and let children know that doing nothing when they could stop someone from being bullied is just as bad as being the bully themselves. This really sounds like a must-read for young children.
ReplyDeleteI really love that you point out that it is not just bullies that are a problem, but people who stand by and let bullies bully as well. I think it is easy for a kid to think they have no part in bullying just because they aren't being the bully themselves. This book seems like a great and relatable one to have this discussion with your class. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteIts crazy to me how cruel kids can be. I feel that bullying can be one of the most dangerous things for kids, the harm it can cause is tremendous. I feel all kids should educated about the negativity of bulling.
ReplyDelete