Among children's books there has always been extra space for the literature of the circus, so [Circus Shoes] takes its natural place with a welcome from all sides. It is a charming book, wise, humorous, and authentic…. This story from the inside of a top class circus satisfies every meaning that the word holds to normal children, including human and animal performers.

Irene Smith, "'Circus Shoes'," in Library Journal, Vol. 64, No. 17, October 1, 1939, p. 762.