From last week's PW Children's Bookshelf (8/21/08):
"Noel Streatfeild's 1936 novel Ballet Shoes, which was adapted by the BBC and shown in Britain earlier this year, has been picked up by Screenvision to be shown in U.S. theaters, according to Variety. The feature-length film reunites three actors from the Harry Potter movies: Emma Watson (Hermione Granger), Richard Griffiths (Vernon Dursley) and Gemma Jones (Poppy Pomfrey). Limited release begins August 26, and a DVD will follow."

Emma Watson plays Pauline. The movie is playing in two local theaters, but I think I'll wait for its release on DVD next week (9/2/08), if only because I can't find anyone who'll see it with me. Actually, I'm not at all sure that I'll like it. Unlike The Golden Compass, Ballet Shoes (the book) was a childhood favorite, my favorite of all the Shoes books I read. Sometimes I liked Posy best, sometimes prickly Petrova, but eventually I grew to appreciate (if not identify with) pretty actress Pauline.

I was also delighted to discover that there are Shoes books I haven't read! This website is an excellent source of information about, and analysis of Noel Streatfeild's books for children (and adults). Many of them are hard to find now, and I'm sadly missing my childhood copy of Skating Shoes (my next favorite; used copies of the Dell Yearling paperback I had are available on Amazon starting at $43.45). But Oxford Children's Classics has a beautiful new edition of Party Shoes that I'd love to get my hands on. In the meantime, I'll just have to get out my worn-out copy of Ballet Shoes.

What are your favorite Shoes?