The Hundred Dresses is a short, yet powerful book on the after-effects of bullying. However, most books that preach anti-bullying do so by focusing onThe Hundred Dresses is a short, yet powerful book on the after-effects of bullying. However, most books that preach anti-bullying do so by focusing on the bully or the victim. This book took a different approach. The focus was from the perspective of the bystander. Eleanor Estes’ book has been in publication since 1945; however the edition I read had a forward written by the author’s daughter. She claims that her mother wrote this book based on a true incident that occurred during elementary school. Her mother was a bystander as her friends taunted their poor immigrant classmate to the point where her father pulled her out of the Connecticut school and moved out of state to New York where immigrants were more accepted. Through both the character of Maddie and the third person omniscient narrator, Estes weaved her own thoughts on how she could have better handled the situation. She couldn’t change what she had done, but she could at least tell the story of young Wanda in the hopes that future generations understand the devastation of hurtful words. ...more
Although Pierre: A Cautionary Tale in Five Chapters and a Prologue, was published over fifty years ago, I believe this story to be relevant and timeleAlthough Pierre: A Cautionary Tale in Five Chapters and a Prologue, was published over fifty years ago, I believe this story to be relevant and timeless. The story centers around an apathetic and disrespectful child named Pierre who is continuously indulged by his parents. Pierre engages in spoiled brat behaviors such as pouring syrup on his hair and making messes for his parents to clean up, constantly repeating the phrase, "I don't care." While having something of a tantrum, Pierre gets left home alone and a lion eats him. The lion gets sick from eating such a spoiled child. But his parents come home in time to rush him to the doctor who saves Pierre and the lion. From this incident Pierre is changed, and he now begins to care. It's interesting that this title is so specific, noting that it's a "cautionary tale." I believe the metaphor is that indulging a spoiled child will only lead to heartache (and heartburn for the lion). I felt for the parents when they realized their son had been eaten by a lion. Pierre was a disrespectful and ungrateful brat. This was a powerful story with the message that parents will always have unconditional love for their child. ...more
The Mysteries of Harris Burdick is something of a masterpiece. With only a picture, a title, and one sentence, the imagination of the reader is in conThe Mysteries of Harris Burdick is something of a masterpiece. With only a picture, a title, and one sentence, the imagination of the reader is in control. Christ Van Allsburg brings to life something that no reader was expecting, a story that the reader has to create. The fourteen pictures the goes with the Harris Burdick, the reader gets to have endless story telling of their own, and countless imagination adventures about what truly is in those pictures, and what was Harris Burdick telling us? ...more
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