Active discussions

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Children's books

Join in for children's book recommendations.

Original poster

Ballet shoes. Noel Streatfeild

204 replies

Orangeanddemons · 29/12/2013 15:53

Wow! It is fantastic isn't it? I'd forgotten how good it was!

Dd got some book vouchers for Christmas. Took her to get some books and found this. I bought it for me, and M reading it again. It wad my best boom ever when I was little, and it's still great now.

This version even has a bow on the cover! Dd hasn't even been able to get near it!

OP posts:
JanePurdy · 30/12/2013 21:00

Sorrel have PMed you.

SorrelForbes · 30/12/2013 20:59

ChristmasSocks Try:

Amazon

ABE

UniS · 30/12/2013 20:43

Madame, I have that copy too, and a more modern one as my old copy is falling apart and very fragile now. I think it used to be my aunts copy, so is some 20 years older than I am.

I wanted to be cool like Petrova and a bit of a successful dram lama like Pauline. I kinda managed both, I became a theatre lighting technician.
I also loved the follow up book "Curtain up" - about the Forbes Children at "the Academy" during WW2.

ChristmasSocks · 30/12/2013 20:37

I didn't read most of them until my thirties!

And still to find the last 'Gemma', I think (goodbye Gemma?)

Gemma and Sisters actually mentions Breasts. Breasts! There weren't any breasts in Ballet Shoes...

SorrelForbes · 30/12/2013 20:31

A link to The Whicharts which is well worth a read.

EBearhug · 30/12/2013 20:29

Feels weird when people talk about these books now, like I'm missing out. I can't see me reading them now, its all about childhood memories isn't it.

I don't agree - if a book's well-written, you can read it at any age. Well, you might have to be old enough/be a good enough reader, but once you're past that, your age won't matter. And rereading children's books as an adult, I find I do get different things from them, and see different things I wouldn't have noticed as a child, but now I've lived a bit, and have a different perspective on parts of life.

MrsSippie · 30/12/2013 19:19

Haha! I wish - it was around 1977 I think - when Annie had just come to London - I wanted desperately to be in it :(

SorrelForbes · 30/12/2013 19:02

Ooh yes, that seemed so mean when I read it as a child, now it sounds really useful!

jeee · 30/12/2013 19:01

SorrelForbes, Tennis Shoes is DD's favourite Noel Streatfield.... she regularly comments about the umbrellas for birthday and Christmas!

jeee · 30/12/2013 18:59

Thanks MrsSippie - the next time I read The Painted Garden I'll be imagining Jane singing a sulky solo! I'm impressed that (a) you wrote a musical at 11 and had the chutzpah to send it off, and (b) you still remember at least some lyrics (that's unless you're a very precocious 15 year old).

SorrelForbes · 30/12/2013 18:56

Tennis Shoes is a good read and a bit different from some of the others.

CambridgeBlue · 30/12/2013 18:53

I love Noël Streatfield's books and really enjoy reading them to my DD - she's more a fan of modern stuff like Jacqueline Wilson but I'm determined she'll know some classic stuff one way or another! We've done the whole Gemma series and The Painted Garden which is one of my favourites (and funnily enough we also read Carbonel recently Jules) and she's really enjoying them. This thread has reminded me to look for some others that she might like - think The Growing Summer would be a good one.

talkingnonsense · 30/12/2013 18:34

Sorrel id love it but I can't pm you! Am trying!!

SorrelForbes · 30/12/2013 18:11

Sounds fantastic just sat and watched Annie

MrsSippie · 30/12/2013 17:55

So, the bit where the children are worried about their father, they all hold hands and do a sort of dance singing 'some people say we, crazy the way we are, but through it all we don't fuss...we don't care what the world says - WE GOT US!' and sort of dance about a bit. Then in America, they dance merrily around the garden and sing 'Wherever we go, whatever we do, we're gonna go through it together...we may not go far but sure as a star, wherever we are, we're TOETHER'. That's about all I remember. I think Jane has a sad/angry song about 'being me, no-one can see, how sad it is to be me'.. And Rachel does a bit of ballet.

jeee · 30/12/2013 16:15

Care to share the lyrics? It sounds fabulous Smile

MrsSippie · 30/12/2013 16:14

hee hee. It was BRILLIANT Grin

tribpot · 30/12/2013 16:12

There's still time, MrsSippie. Just you wait

MrsSippie · 30/12/2013 16:11

I've just remembered - I 'wrote' a musical around the Painted Garden. I included such songs as 'We've got US' 'Wherever we go' and other appalling tunes I was inspired to include after watching a dire Tommy Steele 'special', Blush I sent it to a chap called Michael White who was producing 'Annie' in the west end at the time. In my defence, I was 11!!

Funnily enough, it was never staged....

Footle · 30/12/2013 15:36

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Footle · 30/12/2013 15:35

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

SorrelForbes · 30/12/2013 15:26

In case anyone missed it up thread, I have a pdf copy of a short NS story called What Happened to Pauline, Petrova and Posy which I'm happy to email out. Just PM me.

jeee · 30/12/2013 15:22

I've trained my DD well. Her school library contained all the Gemma books (albeit renamed, presumably to look more contemporary), and she got them all out for me. I love my DD. I bought her A Vicarage Family as a reward. For her, not for me, you understand.

SorrelForbes · 30/12/2013 15:18

jeee Xmas Envy

TheNightIsDark Enjoy. Such a lovely story and great pictures.

Unfortunately I don't remember the series of Thursday's Child. I wonder if it's available on VHS or DVD anywhere? About ten years ago I managed to get a VHS copy of the 70s BBC Ballet Shoes. I much preferred it to the more recent version which was too fluffy! I think that quite a few of her stories would make good TV adaptations.

MrsSippie · 30/12/2013 15:16

that was also the Painted Garden I had and have ordered!

Swipe left for the next trending thread