What will you do if your guardian leaves you one day with insufficient money to survive? With the publication of her children’s novel Ballet Shoes: A Story of Three Children on the Stage, English author Noel Streatfield shows the world how you can indeed be an imperfect, strong and independent woman who needs no man!

Why do you think Gum failed to return to them on time as promised? How would you have felt during his departure and return if you were Pauline, Petrova or Possy Fossil? Would you have forgiven him, and why?

How would you describe the relationship among the Fossil sisters and the connections they share with Sylvia, Nana and the other boarders? What are some of the elements that Streatfield tossed in to make these siblings feel ‘real’ to us? How does the way the characters deal with the trio’s feelings remind you that the emotional experiences of children should be appropriately recognised and not disregarded?

What does Pauline’s fall from grace in this story represent? How is it essential in enforcing the message Streatfield wants to convey to her female readers? How does imperfection set the heroine of this story apart from those in many other pieces of literature?  

The cruel portrayal of Winifred’s plainness and poverty was found to be disturbing for many readers. How does this character’s position further expose readers to the superficial discrimination that haunts women to this day? What is the significance of ordinary Winifred earning her happy ending eventually?