Noel Streatfeild
Mary Noel Streatfeild, known as Noel Streatfeild, was an author best known and loved for her children's books, including Ballet Shoes and Circus Shoes. She also wrote romances under the pseudonym Susan Scarlett . She was born on Christmas Eve, 1895, the daughter of William Champion Streatfeild and Janet Venn and the second of six children to be born to the couple. Sister Ruth was the oldest, after Noel came Barbara, William ('Bill'), Joyce (who died of TB prior to her second birthday) and Richenda. Ruth and Noel attended Hastings and St. Leonard's Ladies' College in 1910. As an adult, she began theater work, and spent approximately 10 years in the theater. During the Great War, in 1915 Noel worked first as a volunteer in a soldier's hospital kitchen near Eastbourne Vicarage and later produced two plays with her sister Ruth. When things took a turn for the worse on the Front in 1916 she moved to London and obtained a job making munitions in Woolwich Arsenal. At the end of the war in January 1919, Noel enrolled at the Academy of Dramatic Art (later Royal Academy) in London. In 1930, she began writing her first adult novel, The Whicharts, published in 1931. In June 1932, she was elected to membership of PEN. Early in 1936, Mabel Carey, children's editor of J. M. Dent and Sons, asks Noel to write a children's story about the theatre, which led to Noel completing Ballet Shoes in mid-1936. In 28 September 1936, when Ballet Shoes was published, it became an immediate best seller. According to Angela Bull, Ballet Shoes was a reworked version of The Whicharts. Elder sister Ruth Gervis illustrated the book, which was published on the 28th September, 1936. At the time, the plot and general 'attitude' of the book was highly original, and destined to provide an outline for countless other ballet books down the years until this day. The first known book to be set at a stage school, the first ballet story to be set in London, the first to feature upper middle class society, the first to show the limits of amateurism and possibly the first to show children as self-reliant, able to survive without running to grownups when things went wrong. In 1937, Noel traveled with Bertram Mills Circus to research The Circus is Coming (also known as Circus Shoes). She won the Carnegie gold medal in February 1939 for this book. In 1940, World War II began, and Noel began war-related work from 1940-1945. During this time, she wrote four adult novels, five children's books, nine romances, and innumerable articles and short stories. On May 10th, 1941, her flat was destroyed by a bomb. Shortly after WWII is over, in 1947, Noel traveled to America to research film studios for her book The Painted Garden. In 1949, she began delivering lectures on children's books. Between 1949 and 1953, her plays, The Bell Family radio serials played on the Children's Hour and were frequently voted top play of the year. Early in 1960s, she decided to stop writing adult novels, but did write some autobiographical novels, such as A Vicarage Family in 1963. She also had written 12 romance novels under the pen name "Susan Scarlett." Her children's books number at least 58 titles. From July to December 1979, she suffered a series of small strokes and moved into a nursing home. In 1983, she received the honor Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE). On 11 September 1986, she passed away in a nursing home.
30 Books Written
Pauline, Petrova and Posy are orphans determined to help out their family by attending the Children's Academy of Dancing and Stage Training. But when they vow to make a name for themselves, they have no idea it's going to be such hard work! They launch themselves into the world of show business, complete with working papers, the glare of the spotlight, and practice, practice, practice! Pauline is destined for the movies. Posy is a born dancer. But practical Petrova finds she'd rather pilot a plane than perform a pirouette. Each girl must find the courage to follow her dream.
Wintle's Little Wonders When Cora Wintle goes to pick up her orphaned niece, Rachel, she discovers that Rachel's adopted sister, Hilary, would be perfect for her dancing troupe. The only problem is that Hilary might be as good as her own precious daughter, Dulcie. Still, she's determined to take sulky Rachel and sprightly Hilary and make them into Little Wonders. But Rachel doesn't want to be a Little Wonder. She can't dance, and she'd rather die than wear the ruffly costume. Not only that, she doesn't want Hilary to be a Little Wonder either. She had promised her mother that she would make sure Hilary danced with the Royal Ballet. Nothing seems to be going as planned, until Rachel discovers her talent for acting. . . .
A beautiful gift edition of the beloved classic about three orphan siblings and their love of music, theater, and dance. When orphans Sorrel, Mark, and Holly are sent to live with their grandmother, a famous English actress, she enrolls them in the Children's Academy of Dancing and Stage Training, the same Academy that made the orphans from Ballet Shoes famous so long ago. It's the chance of a lifetime, but the Academy won't give the children the "proper" education their parents would have wanted. However, the children learn to love the Academy when they find out that Sorrel has dramatic flair, Mark can sing, and Holly charms everyone with her adorable impish ways. Maybe talent does run in the family.This classic children's book is perfect for kids who dream of being on stage--dancing, singing, or acting. Don't miss the other classic Noel Streatfeild books, Ballet Shoes, Skating Shoes, and Dancing Shoes!
A skating champion. An unlikely friendship. A fateful pair of white boots. Read the classic that has captivated generations! It's a stroke of great luck when Harriet Johnson’s doctor prescribes skating after an illness that has left her feeling frail and listless. For on her very first day at the rink, Harriet meets orphaned Lalla Moore, who is being brought up by her wealthy aunt Claudia to be a skating champion. Although they have little in common, the girls form a fast friendship. Harriet is energized by talented, funny Lalla, and Lalla in turn blossoms under the affection of openhearted Harriet. The girls skate together more and more. But just as Lalla’s interest in skating starts to fade, Harriet’s natural talent begins to emerge. Suddenly Lalla and Harriet seem headed in two very different directions. Can their friendship survive?This beloved children's classic is the perfect gift for girls who dream of spending days at the ice rink and becoming a figure skating champion. Adult readers may remember the "Shoes" books from You've Got Mail !
Life is tough for the Winter family in London, with little money and Dad out of work. Luckily Aunt Cora comes to the rescue with an invitation to live in California. From that moment on, talented Rachel and Tim dream of stardom in America. The family couldn't be more surprised when a movie producer picks plain peevish Jane for the lead part of Mary in The Secret Garden. No one's ever noticed Jane before. Could this be the chance of a lifetime?Alternate Title: The Painted Garden
Ten-year-old Margaret Thursday, an orphan of turn-of-the-century England, is determined to escape from the harsh life at St. Luke's orphanage and to seek her fortune
After the death of the aunt they had been living with, Peter and Santa, orphans, join their Uncle Gus, who works as a clown in the circus.
Three children, having lost their parents in an earthquake, come to England to live with their prim uncle and feeble aunt. Anna lives only to dance - but her uncle forbids her to have anything do with ballet. How will she survive?
The four Wiltshire children live a comfortable middle-class English life. But as WWII overtakes the country, the family, like so many others, slowly disintegrates. Told partly from the perspective of the children, but not a children's book, Saplings is immensely readable . . . a dark inversion of the author’s best-known book, the children’s classic Ballet Shoes.
An adventurous summer with four children visiting their eccentric great aunt in the Irish countryside.
Tennis became important in the Heath Family's life early on - the twins were only nine, and the others younger when they started to play. But their grandfather and father before them had been top players - the four red-headed children had tennis in their blood. They join the competitive tournament circuit and battle hard to win!
A welcome reissue of the 1945 book. Set during and after the second World War, this classic novel tells the story of Selina, who has been sent to live with her aunt, uncle, and cousins in the country. When Selina receives a parcel from her godmother in America it causes much excitement among her and her cousins, and, to Selina's delight, the parcel contains a beautiful party dress and a pair of party shoes. But delight turns to dismay when she realizes that she may never have an occasion to wear such a wonderful outfit - until, that is, she and her cousins come up with an idea of organizing a pageant...
The four Forum children dream of returning to Apple Bough, their home in Essex, England
The children of Reverend Bell - Paul, Jane, Angus, and Ginny - find their plans for a summer holiday threatened as they search for ways to earn money to help their parents.
An alternative cover for this ISBN can be found here. A Vicarage Family is the first part in a fictionalized autobiography in which Noel Streatfeild tells the story of her own childhood, painting a poignant and vivid picture of daily life in an impoverished, genteel family in the years leading up to the First World War.In the story there are three little girls - Isobel, the eldest, is pretty, gentle and artistic; Louise the youngest, is sweet and talented - and then there is Vicky, 'the plain one', the awkward and rebellious child who doesn't fit in at school or at home. Growing up in a big family Vicky feels overlooked but gradually begins to realize that she might not be quite as untalented as she feels.The Vicky of this story is, of course, the much-loved Noel Streatfeild who went on to write so many wonderful family stories, the most famous being Ballet Shoes.
From the author of Ballet Shoes In this captivating collection of festive stories, there are auditions on stage and antics on ice, trips to the pantomime, holiday adventures, and laughter shared with family and friends. Charming, heartwarming and funny, this exciting new collection is sure to be a hit with readers of all ages. Originally written for annuals, magazines and the radio from the 1940s-60s, these stories by this much-loved author have never been collected before and will be a welcome discovery to all Streatfeild's admirers. Stories The AuditionThe Bells Keep Twelfth NightThe Moss RoseThimbleThe PrincessThe ChainChristmas at CollersThe Pantomime GooseSkating to the Stars
Rather than stay with a new family, three young evacuees try to return to their home in London after their country host dies suddenly.
Accustomed to a glamorous life as a famous young movie star, eleven-year-old Gemma is horrified when, because of her mother's film career, she is sent to live with her "dull" and unknown cousins in a small industrial town.
Margaret Thursday becomes a famous actress and the evil Matron, the woman who runs the orphanage where Margaret once lived, vows to punish her for running away
![Tea By The Nursery Fire A Children's Nanny at the Turn of the Century [Paperback] by Streatfeild, Noel](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1348978136i/15956111.jpg)
Tea By The Nursery Fire A Children's Nanny at the Turn of the Century [Paperback] by Streatfeild, Noel
by Noel Streatfeild
Rating: 3.8 ⭐
Emily Huckwell spent almost her entire life working for one family. Born in a tiny Sussex village in the 1870s, she went into domestic service in the Burton household before she was twelve, earning £5 a year. She began as a nursery maid, progressing to under nurse and then head nanny, looking after two generations of children. One of the children in her care was the father of Noel Streatfeild, the author of Ballet Shoes and one of the best-loved children's writers of the 20th century. Basing her story on fact and family legend, Noel Streatfeild here tells Emily's story, and with her characteristic warmth and intimacy creates a fascinating portrait of Victorian and Edwardian life above and below stairs.
Gemma, once a child film-star, is living with her cousins in a small provincial town. Having thought that she would find it a terrible backwater, she now finds that her cousins are just as talented than she is! There's tremendous excitement in the Robinson household. Gemma and her cousins have put together an act using all their talents, and they're an instant hit! Everyone wants to see Gemma & Sisters. Robin, the younger brother, has swirled some new tunes, and his friend Nigs is on the drums. Ann sings solo and Lydia, the show-off of the family, is thrilled to be able to dance in front of an audience again.
Gemma finds the transition from being a glamorous child movie star to working as a student at a school for the performing arts requires hard work, but she also enthusiastically joins her cousins in honing their musical, dancing, and acting talents for a grand competition on television.Already a child film star, Gemma is concerned about her reception when she enters the Headstone School of Drama and Stage Training, particularly when she enters a television talent competition with her cousins
Reverend Bell and his family leave their beloved London parish for Crestel New Town, and the Bell children--Paul, Jane, Ginnie and Angus--set out to transform this unfriendly village into a close, loving community.
As her cousins find success singing and dancing on the stage, Gemma wins a coveted acting role in a local theatre production but may have to give it up when her mother makes a startling announcement.
Abandoned as babies on the doorstep of television star Malcolm Masters, Thomas, Lucy, Margery, and William also become TV performers, but problems arise when Malcolm goes off on an extended cruise, leaving the children behind
Picture a gorgeous English country house, surrounded by manicured lawns and sprawling oak trees. This is Levet, where the Laurence family have lived since the 18th century.Once full of children and excitement, the only Laurences left at Levet now are former actress Sara and her very upper class mother-in-law Lydia. That is until the Second World War erupts and Mrs. Vilder arrives with her three children after being evacuated from their home . . .Carnegie Medal winning author Noel Streatfeild fills Levet with authentic families facing undeniable tragedy in this heart-warming wartime novel, The Winter is Past.
Aunt Clara did what she could. It never seemed to be much. Her nieces and nephews were fond of her and took her for granted, her brothers and sisters criticised her and used her. None of them really thought about her at all. It was only the strange charges laid on her by an old relative that threw her into a world of circuses, greyhound-racing and dubious house-property, where, to the perplexity of her worldly-wise relatives and friends, she seemed to manage as well as other people, though not always in the way they hoped.
In black cloth with gilt lettering on spine. 339 pp.
John, Sorrel, Wish and Edward Chandler have to spend the summer with Uncle Murdock, their father's half brother. They have not met Uncle Murdock before, as he mostly lived in Livia, first working to dethrone the royal family, and then as as Chief of Staff for Manoff, the dictator who took over. However, since a counter-revolution, Uncle Murdock has been back in England, living in his large house in Cornwall. Manoff, the former dictator, is also there as his guest.The children find that they are virtual prisoners. They are given no access to newspapers or the radio, and when they are taken to the beach, they are closely watched. At night they hear the sound of a child crying in the gardener's house, so they determine to find out what is going on.