Noel Streatfeild (1895–1986)

Noel Streatfeild, née Mary Noel, was born in Amberley, Sussex, England, one of six children of Rev. William Champion Streatfeild, later Bishop of Lewes, and his wife Janet Nancy Venn. She often rebelled against the strict rules and expectations of her parents. She was educated by governesses and attended St. Leonard's College and Laleham School in Eastbourne. After World War I, she moved to London to attend the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. She spent 10 years acting with the Charles Doran and Arthur Bourchier companies before becoming a full-time writer. Her familiarity with the stage provided authentic background for many of her popular books for children, including the "Shoes" books, beginning with the 1936 novel Ballet Shoes. She won the third annual Carnegie Medal for Best Children's Book of the Year for The Circus Is Coming (1938) also known as Circus Shoes. She also wrote fiction and nonfiction for adults, sometimes using the pen name Susan Scarlett, including biographies. During the 1950s, she also worked in radio. She described her early life in three semi-autobiographical novels: A Vicarage Family (1963), Away from the Vicarage (1965) and Beyond the Vicarage (1972). Several of her books were adapted for feature or television films.