I did have ballet lessons for a while, but it was never a passion for me, so a book about three girls who attend a stage school wouldn’t be the first book you would have picked out for me to fall in love with. I was never a particularly girly girl growing up. Things look bleak until they hit on an inspired idea: Pauline, Petrova and Posy will take to the stage.īut it’s not long before the Fossils learn that being a star isn’t as easy as they first thought… The girls grow up in comfort until their money begins to run out and nobody can find Great Uncle Matthew. All three were adopted as babies by Great Uncle Matthew, an eccentric and rich explorer who then disappeared, leaving them in the care of his niece Sylvia. Pauline, Petrova and Posy Fossil are sisters – with a difference. I am talking about Ballet Shoes by Noel Streatfeild.

This time we have come forward in time and closer to home to read about the three Fossil sisters living in London in the first half of the twentieth century.

I was obviously obsessed with reading about the lives of other young girls living in other times during my own formative years. Originally published in 1936, Noel Streatfeild’s BALLET SHOES is a story of family, friendship and growing up that stands the test of time and is loved by generations.It’s time for March’s Desert Island Children’s Book and I can see a theme forming in my last three choices. Things begin to look bleak for Sylvia and the Fossil girls until they hit on an inspired idea: Pauline, Petrova and Posy will take to the stage.īut it’s not long before the Fossils learn that there’s more to being a star than they thought. But after five years go by and Gum fails to return, Sylvia’s money starts to run out. After leaving the children in the care of his niece Sylvia in London, he returns to exploring, promising to come back in five years’ time.Īt first, the girls lead privileged and sheltered lives in the comfort of wealth. Elegantly designed with a cloth-bound cover and ribbon embellishment, this is the perfect present for young dancers and readers, or for any lover of classics.īALLET SHOES is the story of Pauline, Petrova and Posy Fossil, three very different girls who were each adopted as an orphaned baby by the eccentric explorer, Gum. A beautiful hardback gift edition of the beloved children’s book BALLET SHOES, featuring the classic illustrations by Ruth Gervis.

Streatfeild ballet shoes