Beyond the vicarage

Mary Noel Streatfeild (24 December 1895 – 11 September 1986) was an English author, best known for children's books including the "Shoes" books, which were not a series (though some books made references to others). Random House, the US publisher of the 1936 novel Ballet Shoes (1936), published some of Streatfeild's subsequent children's books using the word "Shoes" in their titles, to capitalise on the popularity of Ballet Shoes; thus Circus Shoes (originally called The Circus Is Coming), Party Shoes (originally called Party Frock), Skating Shoes (originally called White Boots) and many more. She won the third annual Carnegie Medal for The Circus Is Coming. Streatfeild also wrote 12 romance novels under the pen name Susan Scarlett. She was a member of the historic Streatfeild family.