On this episode, Deborah and Mary Grace read Carol Ryrie Brink’s 1935 Newbery Medal winner Caddie Woodlawn, which is based on Brink’s grandmother’s childhood adventures on the Wisconsin frontier.
Here’s the cover from the original edition, illustrated by Kate Seredy:
Mary Grace mentioned what she thought were two different blog posts on a website about portrayals of American Indians in children’s books. Actually, it was just one post, here.
On this episode, Mary Grace and Deborah celebrate the beginning of a new school year by rereading “B” is for Betsy,Carolyn Haywood’s 1939 novel about a little girl navigating the complicated world of first grade. It was the first in a long series of books about Betsy and her friends. This was the first book that Mary Grace remembers checking out of the library and reading.
You can find the twelve books in the Betsy series on Goodreads here. As Deborah mentions, Haywood also wrote several other series, including one about a boy named Eddie and one about a boy named Penny. You can find these series on Goodreads here (Eddie) and here (Penny).
Here’s what Mary Grace wrote on her blog about rereading Dorothy Canfield Fisher’s Understood Betsy (it’s #7 on the list).
Here’s the original cover of “B” is for Betsy. It gives you an idea of the illustrations, which Mary Grace isn’t a big fan of.
Here’s the cover of the current edition, which Mary Grace and Deborah read:
Haywood’s New York Times obituary, from January 12, 1990, which, as Mary Grace mentions, erroneously says that “B” is for Betsy was Haywood’s first book, is here.
Here’s the cover of Haywood’s actual first book, When I Grow Up:
The Free Library of Philadelphia blog post about Haywood’s relationship with artist Violet Oakley and the group of women artists in Philadelphia who were known as the Red Rose Girls is here.
Here’s a photo of Haywood and Edith Emerson, a fellow student of Oakley, painting the ceiling of Vassar’s Alumnae House, which Oakley designed, in 1924. (Mary Grace said erroneously on the podcast that the photo was of Haywood and Oakley.) You can read about the project here.
Violet Oakley Visual Resources Collection, Philadelphia Museum of Art
Here’s the Free Library of Philadelphia blog post titled “Carolyn Haywood: All Sugar, No Spice.”
The Free Library of Philadelphia blog post about an unpublished novel about a boy whose father is in jail for selling heroin that was found in Haywood’s papers is here.
Deborah and Mary Grace recommend Beverly Cleary’s Ramona booksfor fans of “B” is for Betsy.
On this episode, Deborah and Mary Grace discuss Ballet Shoes, Noel Streatfeild’s classic 1936 story of a trio of adopted sisters, Pauline, Petrova, and Posy, who attend a school for professional children in the performing arts in London. Ballet Shoes is the first in what became a series of “Shoes” books about children working in the theater, the circus, etc.
As Deborah and Mary Grace mention, the girls perform in these plays:
The Blue Bird, by Maurice Maeterlinck (a large chunk of which, weirdly, appears in the text of Ballet Shoes)
Other Noel Streatfeild books mentioned in the podcast:
Circus Shoes (1938). As Deborah mentions, several of Streatfeild’s books were retitled to capitalize on the popularity of Ballet Shoes. This book was originally titled The Circus is Coming.
Skating Shoes(1951). This is the American title; it was published in the UK as White Boots.
The Whicharts (1931). As Deborah mentions, Streatfeild’s first novel, which is for adults, also features three adopted sisters. (According to an episode on Ballet Shoeson the wonderful Backlisted podcast, the books have identical openings.)
Here’s the cover of the first edition of Ballet Shoes. This will give you an idea of the what the illustrations by Ruth Jervis, who was Streatfeild’s sister, were like. They’re not included in most current editions, although the Puffin edition that Mary Grace bought in London has them.
Recommended by Mary Grace for fans of Ballet Shoes: We Danced in Bloomsbury Squareby Jean Estoril (out of print, available from used booksellers).
Recommended by Deborah for fans of Ballet Shoes: other books in the Shoes series. Shoes books available in the United States include Theater Shoes and Dancing Shoes.
The podcast is hosted by Buzzsprout at rereadingourchildhood.buzzsprout.com and is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and other podcast platforms. You can listen to it on Buzzsprout here.
Rereading Our Childhood 