The Hundred Dresses

In an article in the WSJ, Vanessa O’Connell looks at clothing-related bullying in middle school and mentions a book called ‘The Hundred Dresses’ by Eleanor Estes. It was first printed in 1944 and has not been out of print since then.The book (which leaves several questions unanswered) doesn’t specifically disclose if Wanda, the girl who’s bullied, is a survivor of the holocaust, an economically-disadvantaged immigrant or something else but it is realistic and its lessons can be applied to any situation where discrimination, stereotyping, prejudice and bullying come into play. It, however, says less of the child who is bullied than of the one who stands by, does nothing and then has to live with her conscience when Wanda leaves town because of the unkindness she is subjected to.

Link:[1] http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB119326834963770540-n57Ra8×8FUa9uUdDkpdfTuEt0XA_20071123.html?mod=tff_main_tff_top