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.