Beth Bonini's Reviews > Ballet Shoes

It’s a complete mystery to me why I’ve read this classic children’s book, but I suppose better “late” than never.

Like Louisa May Alcott before her (in the immortal Little Women), Streatfeild brings together several different heroines for the reader to identify with. There is Pauline, blonde and blue-eyed, who wants to be an actress. Then Petrova, who has straight dark hair and narrow eyes, and is good at all sorts of mechanical things. Posy, the youngest, has a cloud of fluffy red hair; she arrives with a pair of ballet shoes, and is a gifted dancer. All three girls are orphans, and the first chapter of the book quickly establishes their “origin” story. Great-Uncle Matthew (thereafter referred to as a GUM) is an explorer and great fossil hunter. Through a series of incidents and accidents, he ends up adopting three baby girls: and Fossil becomes their last name. When GUM disappears off on his adventures, the girls end up being raised by his great-niece (Sylvia, nicknamed “Garnie”) and her formidable Nanny.

The fascinating bit for me was the setting of this book: London during the 1930s. Despite living in a huge house off the Gloucester Road, with a Cook and Maids and Nanny, the constant, nagging need of money is a backdrop to the storyline and provides the impetus for the girls’ need to start earning. Set during the worst years of the worldwide economic depression, the book combines aspiration and harder reality to very good effect. The girls attend a stage school, where they study acting, singing and dance, and as soon as they turn 12 they are able to get a special license and become “professionals”. The world of London theatre, pantomimes and even cinema becomes accessible through the plot line, and I’ve no doubt that most of the details were very true-to-life as Streatfeild herself went through RADA training. Clothes play a huge role in the story, and the characters are forever contriving and “making do” in order to keep up appearances.

Ambition, ingenuity, gumption and discipline are all major key notes in the storyline. All of the girls want to earn their keep, but they also want to excel - and to make their “Fossil” name special. It’s easy to understand why the book was a huge hit in 1936, the year it was published, and why it has continued to inspire and charm subsequent generations.

Note: I was finally inspired to read this book after reading Patrick Gale’s Take Nothing With You. He mentions Ballet Shoes in that book, and describes it as a “fairy godmother” to his own story.