Noel Streatfeild was born in Sussex in 1895. Her father, a clergyman, was vicar of St Leonard's-on-Sea and then of Eastbourne during her childhood. She was one of five children and found vicarage life very restricting. At a young age she began to show a talent for acting and was sent to the Academy of Dramatic Art in London, after which she acted professionally for a number of years. She began writing children's books in 1931 and Ballet Shoes was published in 1936. She quickly became one of the most popular authors of her day; when she visited Puffin exhibitions, there were queues right out of the building and all the way down The Mall. She won the Carnegie Medal for her book The Circus is Coming (Circus Shoes) and was awarded an OBE in 1983. Noel Streatfeild died in 1986.
