Listen free for 30 days
Listen with offer
-
Ballet Shoes
- A Story of Three Children on the Stage (A Puffin Book)
- Narrated by: Janet Streatfeild
- Length: 6 hrs and 20 mins
Failed to add items
Add to basket failed.
Add to wishlist failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
99p for the first 3 months
Ballet Shoes
Buy Now for £12.99
No valid payment method on file.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
Listeners also enjoyed...
Summary
Penguin presents the unabridged downloadable audiobook edition of Ballet Shoes by Noel Streatfeild, read by Janet Streatfeild.
'I wonder...if other girls had to be one of us, which of us they'd choose to be?'
Pauline longs to be an actress.
Petrova is happiest playing with cars and engines.
And if she could...Posy would dance all day!
But when their benefactor Great-Uncle Matthew disappears, the Fossil girls share a future of a dazzling life onstage, where their dreams and fears will soon come true....
Noel Streatfeild once said that Ballet Shoes was 'really a fairy story with its feet halfway on the ground' - a magical description for a magical book.
Noel was born in Sussex in 1895 and was one of three sisters. Although she was considered the plain one, she ended up leading the most glamorous and exciting life! After working in munitions factories and canteens for the armed forces when WWI broke out, Noel followed her dream of being onstage and went to RADA, where she became a professional actress. She began writing children's books in 1931, and Ballet Shoes was published in 1936. She quickly became one of the most popular authors of her day. When she visited Puffin exhibitions, there were queues right out of the building and all the way down The Mall. She was one of the first winners of the Carnegie Medal and was awarded an OBE in 1983. Noel Streatfeild lived in London. She died in 1986.
Also by Noel Streatfield, and available in A Puffin Book: Tennis Shoes; Circus Shoes; Theatre Shoes.
Critic reviews
More from the same
Narrator
What listeners say about Ballet Shoes
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Ali
- 18-01-19
Great story
Loved this story, nice simple story about 3 girls brought up and trained as dancers and actresses. Lots of different threads and good attention to detail. Narrator was good, sounded right for this book.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
- Jennifer's Reviews
- 17-10-19
Top Marks From Our Family
I loved this book and found it particularly enjoyable because of the narration which, for me, exactly matched the author's style.
I am a native Londoner myself, albeit not as posh as the children in the story. This narrator captured the London humour so well - 'Nanny' sounded exactly like my grandmother (who was known always as Nana' in the Cockney style) - she was, of course, a relative nas opposed to a servant.
This story includes orphaned children, ballet, an eccentric type of school and a happy ending. The story is of its time but no worse for that - I listened with my three nieces who accepted it as a historical novel, and we had some interesting discussions on subjects arising such as courage, gender equality, what happens when we get too big-headed and what constitutes a real family.
Lovely.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 19-02-24
Amazing
Great story the reader is a bit shouty at the start but the more you read the more you get used to it great story overall
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Jennifer Hope
- 26-09-17
A great reading of my all-time favourite book!
I love this book, I read it countless times growing up and it still has a special place in my heart today. The narration was very good, bringing the words to life well.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
4 people found this helpful
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars
-
Performance2 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Isabel de Bertodano
- 04-11-18
Great story, badly narrated
It’s a mistake to get a family member to read this lovely book, rather than a professional actor or narrator.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
11 people found this helpful
-
Overall3 out of 5 stars
- Sue
- 07-09-17
nostalgic and largely enjoyable.....
Why have "three_pence!!!!!! ". so irritating and repeatedly! Always pronounced "threpence"!!!! Shame. Still enjoy the story as sounded in my head in the 1940's.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars
-
Performance3 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Mrs O
- 08-02-18
It's a classic.
story is is good and entertaining as I remember it being when I was a child I was less impressed with the reader is styles quite abrupt and harsh
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
10 people found this helpful
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 15-02-24
Amazing ❤️👍
Loved how the voice was so relaxing and the story was interesting to listen to !
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance3 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 20-11-23
Happiest
I’m so happy that this is read by one of Noel streatfeild family members and that so amazing 🤩😇☺️🥹😃😀😃😄😁😂😂😅🥳🤩😛🤪😝🍊🍉🍒🍅🍅🥦🌽🥔🍠🌽🥥🍈🍈🍒🍑🥭🥑🍍🍍🍅🥝🥥🥝🍅🍅🥑🥭🍇🍇🍓🫐🫐🍇🍌🍌🍏🍏🍎🍎🍊🍊🍊🍋🍋🫒🫒🫒
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Cally
- 24-01-18
🤣
This is the best audible book I’ve ever listened too 👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍 if you are a girl you would love it ,it is based on any age
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
3 people found this helpful