“The Hundred Dresses”: Describe the plot structure of “The Hundred Dresses.” How is the story told? (in what order) How important is the point of view in this story?

“The Hundred Dresses” is told in seven monumental events that develop this story. It first begins to describe who Wanda is, and then describes the “dresses game,” which we find out actually bothers one of the girls involved named Maddie, unlike the other girl Peggy. The next part describes the day when Cecile, another classmate shows up to school with a new, bright red dress. By this time Wanda has boasted several times of her hundred dresses. The girls continue to make fun of her and cast her out. Next is the contest of who can design the prettiest and best drawing of a dress. Wanda now no longer goes to school, but it turns out she wins the contest due to her hundred drawings of beautiful dresses. The mean girls then go to her old home in hopes that she hasn’t left town yet, because they feel sorry and want apologize about their actions. They want to tell Wanda she has won and how beautiful her dresses are! There is no one. But after they try to write her a letter, Wanda sends one to her old class in Room 13, saying thank you and that two certain drawings are for Peggy and Maddie.  

The story is told in the view point of an unknown voice. The voice is omnipotent and knows everything that happens. I think this is important to the story. If the story were told in only Wanda’s voice, we wouldn’t ever know the regret and the lesson learned by Peggy and Maddie. We wouldn’t know their thoughts.

 
Share any activities or discussions that might accompany this story in the classroom or with a child.  
Why is this a "good" school story in the field of children's literature? Again, you might want to consider the techniques we use to "evaluate" literature.  

I think some good discussion questions would be:

Have you ever made fun of someone else because of the way they looked, their name, or their interests?

Have you ever been made fun of? How did it make you feel?

What can we learn from this story?

Why can’t we “judge a book from it’s cover?” What does that phrase mean to you?