Synopses & Reviews
Eleanor Estesand#8217;s The Hundred Dresses won a Newbery Honor in 1945 and has never been out of print since. At the heart of the story is Wanda Petronski, a Polish girl in a Connecticut school who is ridiculed by her classmates for wearing the same faded blue dress every day. Wanda claims she has one hundred dresses at home, but everyone knows she doesnand#8217;t and bullies her mercilessly. The class feels terrible when Wanda is pulled out of the school, but by that time itand#8217;s too late for apologies. Maddie, one of Wandaand#8217;s classmates, ultimately decides that she is "never going to stand by and say nothing again." This powerful, timeless story has been reissued with a new letter from the authorand#8217;s daughter Helena Estes, and with the Caldecott artist Louis Slobodkinand#8217;s original artwork in beautifully restored color.
Review
"Sensitive, intuitive, restrained . . . will take its place with the books that endure."--Saturday Review
"Written with rare intuition and pictured with warm sympathy and charm."--The Horn Book
"No young person . . . will ever forget it."--Book Week
Review
"From the whispered tales of a local monster to the brash, spunky heroes on a quest, internationally acclaimed Israeli author Oz litters his story with fairy-tale tropes that give this narrative a fable-like quality; the atmosphere is intriguingly secretive and shadowed, but the prose is measured and accessible and the length manageable....There is plenty to discuss here, making it a useful classroom companion when tackling issues of historical and contemporary conflicts." —
The Bulletin "It's through Matti and Maya's willingness to challenge everything that Oz channels hope."—
Publishers Weekly
"Oz creates palpable tension with a repetitive, almost hypnotic rhythm and lyrical language that twists a discussion-provoking morality tale into something much more enchanting." —Booklist
Praise for Suddenly in the Depths of the Forest from the UK: "If you're a reader... you'll be prepared simply to be enchanted. You'll recognize no one, and see only yourself." —The Guardian "Both a children's fable and an allegory for adults. It may be a fast read, but it has enormous resonances." —The Independent Praise for Rhyming Life and Death: "From the prodigious Oz comes a delightfully elusive...story of imagination, talent and the transitory nature of fame...Stamped with Oz's charm and graceful skill in creating rich characters, this is a must for any fan." —Publishers Weekly "Hilarious and profound, Ozs tale of a mischievous taleteller ponders the eroticism of stories and the mysterious ways language and literature bridge the divide between inner and outer worlds; and it helps us make some sense, however gossamer, of life and death. A slyly philosophical novel." —Booklist
Review
"A gentle, affectionate take on familiar middle-grade issues and the joys of reading."
and#8212;Kirkus
"Tender . . . Cheng credibly portrays Anna's budding maturity."
and#8212;Publishers Weekly
"Cheng's telling is as straightforward yet sympathetic as her self-contained main character; and Halpin's often lighthearted pencil-and-wash sketches both decorate and enrich this perceptive novel."
and#8212;Horn Book
"Readers are led to discover the extraordinary within the ordinary, and to witness how kindness can draw trust and create confidence in a hesitant child."
and#8212;School Library Journal
"This is a remarkably pithy and nuanced portrait of a fourth-grader and her world, and the streamlined simplicity of Cheng's writing and the brief page count make it accessible."
and#8212;Bulletin
"The Year of the Book was a pleasure to read and more. This is a novel to treasure and share with every middle-grade reader you know."
and#8212;New York Times Book
Synopsis
Never out of print since its 1944 publication, this tender story offers readers of all ages a timeless message of compassion and understanding. At its heart is Wanda Petronski, an immigrant girl in an American school, who is ridiculed for wearing the same faded blue dress every day. When she tells her classmates that she has one hundred dresses at home, she unwittingly triggers a game of teasing that eventually ends in a lesson for all.
In restoring the reproduction of Louis Slobodkin's artwork, this new edition recaptures the original vivid color. And to celebrate the book's enhanced beauty, Helena Estes, the daughter of the author, has written a new letter to readers about the true story behind The Hundred Dresses.
Synopsis
A restored edition of a classic, award-winning book about prejudice and understanding.
Synopsis
Wanda Petronski, a little Polish girl in an American school, is laughed at because she always wears a faded blue dress, until her classmates learn a lesson. “Sensitive, intuitive, restrained.”--
Saturday ReviewSynopsis
Wanda Petronski, a little Polish girl in an American school, is laughed at because she always wears a faded blue dress, until her classmates learn a lesson.
Synopsis
In a gray and gloomy village, all of the animals—from dogs and cats to fish and snails—disappeared years before. No one talks about it and no one knows why, though everyone agrees that the village has been cursed. But when two children see a fish—a tiny one and just for a second—they become determined to unravel the mystery of where the animals have gone. And so they travel into the depths of the forest with that mission in mind, terrified and hopeful about what they may encounter.
From the internationally bestselling author Amos Oz, this is a hauntingly beautiful fable for both children and adults about tolerance, loneliness, denial, and remembrance.
Synopsis
This fully illustrated chapter book follows Anna, a young Asian-American girl, as she navigates relationships with family, friends, and her fourth-grade classroom, and finds a true best friend.
Synopsis
In Chinese, peng you means friend. But in any language, all Anna knows for certain is that friendship is complicated. When Anna needs company, she turns to her books. Whether traveling through A Wrinkle in Time, or peering over My Side of the Mountain, books provide what real life cannotand#8212;constant companionship and insight into her changing world. Books, however, canand#8217;t tell Anna how to find a true friend. Sheand#8217;ll have to discover that on her own. In the tradition of classics like Maud Hart Lovelaceand#8217;s Betsy-Tacy books and Eleanor Estesand#8217; One Hundred Dresses, this novel subtly explores what it takes to make friends and what it means to be one.
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.
Louis Slobodkin (1903-1975) illustrated more than ninety books for children, many of which he also wrote. Among his most enduring illustrations are those for the Moffats series by Eleanor Estes, and those for James Thurber's Many Moons, for which Slobodkin received the 1944 Caldecott Medal.