Ballet Shoes

Author Noel Streatfeild (born Mary Noel Streatfeild) was born in Frant, Sussex, in 1895. Prior to her career as an author, Streatfeild was an actress, starting as a child when she and her sisters performed for charity. She later pursued a career on the stage. She enrolled in training at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London in 1919 and then spent about 10 years acting on the stage for the Charles Doran and Arthur Bourchier companies. Her career in theater eventually became the basis for several of her books.

The first book that Streatfeild wrote was a novel for adults called The Whicharts (1931). Set in 1920s London, it follows three sisters who train for careers on the stage to support their household. The book, published in 1931, wasn’t particularly successful. However, Streatfeild reworked the darker, more adult story into her 1936 children’s book Ballet Shoes, which her eldest sister, Ruth Gervis, illustrated. The book was an immediate success, though it was considered revolutionary at the time for its depiction of an unconventional family, its emphasis on education for young girls, and its truthful but hopeful portrayal of young people overcoming adversity.

Streatfeild wrote 10 more books from 1937 to 1962 that were part of the Shoes book collection. Although the books aren’t technically a series, some of them reference each other. Some were initially published under other titles but were later changed to end with the word “Shoes.” The collection includes Tennis Shoes (1937); Circus Shoes, originally published as The Circus Is Coming (1938); Theater Shoes, originally published as Curtain Up (1944); Party Shoes, originally published as Party Frock (1946); Movie Shoes, originally published as The Painted Garden (1949); Skating Shoes, originally published as White Boots (1951); Family Shoes, originally published as The Bell Family (1954); Dancing Shoes, originally published as Wintle’s Wonders (1957); New Shoes (1960); and Traveling Shoes, originally published as Apple Bough (1962). Including the Shoes books, Streatfeild authored a total of 33 books for children.

In addition to her work as a children’s author, Streatfeild continued to write for adults after the publication of The Whicharts. Saplings (1945) finds parallels between the crumbling of English society under German attack and the crumbling of an English family of four children. In 2004, the BBC adapted the book into a 10-part radio series, and the book was republished in 2000 by Persephone Books. Another notable title is Aunt Clara, which was adapted into a 1954 film starring Ronald Shiner, Margaret Rutherford, and A. E. Matthews. In addition, Streatfeild authored three semi-autobiographical novels that draw from her stage career: A Vicarage Family, Away From the Vicarage, and Beyond the Vicarage.

After Ballet Shoes was the runner-up for the Carnegie Medal from the Library Association in 1936, Streatfeild won the medal for The Circus Is Coming (later republished as Circus Shoes) in 1938. In 1983, she was appointed as an officer of the Order of the British Empire. By the time she died three years later, on September 11, 1986, Streatfeild had penned more than 80 books.

Today, Streatfeild is considered a staple author of English children’s literature. Between the original publication of Ballet Shoes in 1936 and her death 50 years later, 10 million copies of the book reportedly sold. The literary world continues to celebrate Streatfeild’s contributions, especially the characters she created in the beloved Fossil sisters.