About the Book
Poppy and Honey are thrilled when Madame Angelwing starts extra ballet lessons. At first, Poppy loves them, but she soon feels that ballet is taking over her life. When Honey decides to stick with the classes and no longer has any time for her best friend, Poppy feels very sad.
Will Honey’s ballet dreams come true? And will things ever be the same between Poppy and Honey?
About the Author
Janey was born in Edinburgh and grew up by the seaside just outside the city. Janey published the first two Princess Poppy books herself (with her own illustrations) and the books were so popular that Random House Children’s Books soon bought the series and re-packaged the books. The series is now going from strength to strength, including picture books, novels for young readers, activity books and sumptuous gift books.
Janey read English at Edinburgh University specializing in the Victorian novel. Following this she became a teacher – a career that she absolutely adored – and then, with her husband, set up The Jelly Club, which has become an extremely successful chain of children’s activity centres in Scotland. She still very much enjoys visiting schools and talking to children to find out what they like doing and what makes them laugh. Janey and her husband live in Edinburgh with their three sons.
Princess Poppy
Ballet Dreams
Contents
Cover
About the Book
Title Page
Dedication
Map
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
About the Author
Copyright
Chapter One
POPPY ALWAYS GOT butterflies in her tummy when her ballet exam was coming up. Her ballet teacher, Madame Angelwing, was always very demanding and ambitious for her girls, but at exam time she really wanted her little ballerinas to perform brilliantly. It was only eight weeks until Lady Margery de Mille, the examiner from the Royal Academy, would come to the Lavender Lake School of Dance to test Poppy and her friends.
One Tuesday, at the end of the weekly ballet class, Madame Angelwing gave all the girls an information sheet about the exam and then talked them through it.
The girls folded the notes into their ballet cases.
“Don’t forget to give them to your parents when you get home,” said Madame Angelwing, “and, Honey, you give yours to your grandmother. Bye, girls!”
“Goodbye, Madame, see you next week!” they called as they trouped out of the dance school.
Poppy and Honey were both very hungry and thirsty after class so they decided to go to Bumble Bees Teashop for a snack and a drink.
“Hello, girls!” called Granny Bumble as they arrived. “And how was ballet today?”
“Oh, Granny, it was so good,” replied Honey breathlessly. “We learned some new steps and Madame Angelwing told us all about the exam. We’re going to have to do so much practice for it.”
“Well, as long as you don’t let it take over your lives – there is more to life than ballet, you know,” commented Granny Bumble.
“Yeah, I know, but I really, really love it, and Madame Angelwing says that I could be a proper ballerina one day if I work hard, and I want to get Honours in the exam. Oh, and Granny, another thing,” continued Honey, “Madame Angelwing says that we need new ballet outfits for the exam – look, she’s given us a list. She says that we have to get everything from Ballet Belles in the City. Can we meet all the ballet girls and their mums this Saturday and go up on the train? Madame said that if we don’t go soon, there will be nothing left for us!”
“Well, if everyone else is going, I suppose we’ll have to!” agreed Granny, less than cheerfully. “I’ll just phone Holly Mallow and see if she can work here on Saturday. Mind you, I don’t see what’s wrong with the ballet outfits you’ve all got already.”
At the weekend Poppy, Honey, Sweetpea, Mimosa, Abigail, all their mums and Granny Bumble met at the Honeypot Hill Railway Station to go up to the beautiful ballet shop in the city.
“I want a pale pink ballet dress and matching crossover cardigan!” said Sweetpea as they all settled down in their seats.
“I want a pale blue set!” declared Mimosa.
“Wait and see what’s available in your size!” said Mimosa’s mum.
“Yes, girls, she’s right,” said Poppy’s mum. “You mustn’t go setting your heart on things and then being disappointed if you can’t have them.”
“I’m getting a white leotard with a lilac top,” Honey announced.
“Madame Angelwing and her fancy ideas, indeed!” tutted Granny Bumble. “Costs a fortune and you’ve got plenty of perfectly respectable tutus in the cupboard at home!”
Before long the train arrived at their destination. Everyone clambered out and made their way to the main shopping district.
“Here’s Ballet Belles!” called Poppy, recognizing the heavenly ballet shop she had visited a couple of times before with Mum.
Everyone followed her in. They had a lovely time in the ballet shop looking at the rows of shell-pink satin ballet shoes, some with points like the older girls wore, and rails of pastel-coloured ballet dresses. Poppy loved all the other pretty accessories too, such as satin ballet cases with mirrors inside, ballerina jewel boxes, hair bands and ribbons. There were also shelves of books about ballet.
Swan Lake