Description
A beautiful gift edition of the beloved classic about two orphan sisters and their newfound love of theater and dance. After losing their mother, Rachel and her adopted sister Hilary move in with their aunt, Cora Wintle. Cora runs a dancing school in London, and she thinks that Hilary would be perfect for her dancing troupe, Wintle's Little Wonders! The only problem is that Hilary might be as good as Cora's own precious daughter, Dulcie. Still, Cora is determined to make sulky Rachel and sprightly Hilary members of her dance troupe. But Rachel doesn't want to be a Little Wonder! She can't dance and feels silly in her the ruffly costume. Nothing seems to be going as planned, until Rachel discovers her talent for acting. . . . This classic children's book is perfect for kids who dream of being on stage, whether it be dancing or acting. And don't miss the other classic Noel Streatfeild titles, Ballet Shoes, Skating Shoes, and Theater Shoes!
About the Author
Mary Noel Streatfeild, known asNoel Streatfeild, was an author best known and loved for her children's books, includingBallet ShoesandCircus Shoes. She also wrote romances under the pseudonymSusan 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 completingBallet Shoesin mid-1936. In 28 September 1936, whenBallet Shoeswas published, it became an immediate best seller.According to Angela Bull,Ballet Shoeswas a reworked version ofThe 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 researchThe Circus is Coming(also known asCircus 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 bookThe 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 asA Vicarage Familyin 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.
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