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Shoes #11
Traveling Shoes
The four Forum children dream of returning to Apple Bough, their home in Essex, England
208 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1962
14 people are currently reading
970 people want to read
About the author
Noel Streatfeild
161 books612 followersMary 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 58 reviews
July 5, 2017
Sebastian is a child prodigy violinist and being too young to legally tour in England the family sell their home to tour abroad and further his career. The other children are dragged along with him with and give up all their own friends and interests as mum does not want to split the family up. The parents love this jet setting life but not suprisingly the children want a home and a life of their own. A long winded plan is hatched by grandparents to make them see sense. I don't think this story has stood the test of time. Really expected to love this one, but it dragged. I read this aloud to my daughter who plays violin so we expected to identify with some aspects of the book but it felt that perhaps this author was much more of an authority on dance than music and had attempted to write about a subject she was not so familiar with. Since the main subject of the book was Sebastian's violin career we would have liked to hear more about his practising, the pieces he played etc. this information would have helped us visualise the routine of a prodigy, and make the main theme of the story come alive for us.
There seemed to be a lot of arguing and debating which was boring to read, arguing has to be funny or add something to the story to be worthwhile including and it was neither. It also seemed quite unethical, none of the siblings happiness seemed to be considered in their pursuit to make their son famous and fulfill what his father would have liked to have become himself.
There seemed to be a lot of arguing and debating which was boring to read, arguing has to be funny or add something to the story to be worthwhile including and it was neither. It also seemed quite unethical, none of the siblings happiness seemed to be considered in their pursuit to make their son famous and fulfill what his father would have liked to have become himself.
June 1, 2021
So I don't think I've read this before, but I think I read ABOUT it? It all feels very familiar. Of course, it's also very much in line with a Streatfeild book with the talented kids, sensible oldest sister (love them!), and beloved nanny!
Not destined to be a favorite. But enjoyable!
Owned physical book 3/2 for the month
Overall owned book 5/5 for the month
Not destined to be a favorite. But enjoyable!
Owned physical book 3/2 for the month
Overall owned book 5/5 for the month
February 17, 2017
You couldn't not like anything she wrote, but the older I get, the more I ache for the "normal" rubbish untalented one she always puts in. Young girls reading these books think they're Posy Fossil, or at a push Pauline, or here they might be the equivalent of any of the precocious ones, but I, of course, like most of us, am dull cranky Petrova, and I'm worrywart Myra, whose only identified talent is "being a good sister". I did hurt for the poor thing, as her siblings capered and showed off around her, and everyone in the family encouraged them and patronised her.
December 4, 2025
Ich fand’s schon als Kind iconic und das hat sich bis heute nicht geändert 🤸♂️
January 26, 2016
When I first started this book I thought, oh dear, a rewrite of Movie Shoes with a touch of Dancing/Ballet Shoes. We have the piano-playing brother, the obnoxious conceited little brother like the one in White Boots, and the misunderstood, talentless sister, Myra. We also have the weird names again, particularly little Wolfie, the self-absorbed brat. ("Forum" as a surname? Seriously?) Posey Fossil is mentioned as "the best dancer in the world" and we hear again of Madame and her Academy. Therefore I was all set to expect a watered-down recycling of previous books. All that travelling, and yet there is no description of any of the countries or cities; of course, Streatfield couldn't write convincingly about places she never visited, so we are asked to believe the kids were never really aware of where they were, never visited any landmarks or anything else. Once again, the parents (never referred to as Mum and Dad or Mother and Father, but by their names) are more childlike than their kids, and never listen to them or even really talk to them. Mum is a painter who started out as a classical singer (?) and Dad is a classical pianist/accompanist. Both brothers are "musical" while one sister wants to be a ballerina more than she wants to breathe. Sound familiar so far? That's because it is.
However, what started as a very odd story of four globe-trotting children and their parents developed in surprising ways. Wish-fullfilment ways, of course (this is Streatfield, after all), but I enjoyed the story of how three siblings break away from their little brother's child-star career as a violinist much more than I feared. Having grown up with a sibling who was first violinist, I was more than a little suprised that everyone (particularly the narrator) constantly referred to Sebastian's instrument as a "fiddle", which is usually used of a style of playing, or as a joke. A violin is a violin, and an Amati would never be referred to as a "fiddle" by a classically trained musician, just as car enthusiasts would never refer to a mint-condition Hispano Suiza as an "old banger."
However, what started as a very odd story of four globe-trotting children and their parents developed in surprising ways. Wish-fullfilment ways, of course (this is Streatfield, after all), but I enjoyed the story of how three siblings break away from their little brother's child-star career as a violinist much more than I feared. Having grown up with a sibling who was first violinist, I was more than a little suprised that everyone (particularly the narrator) constantly referred to Sebastian's instrument as a "fiddle", which is usually used of a style of playing, or as a joke. A violin is a violin, and an Amati would never be referred to as a "fiddle" by a classically trained musician, just as car enthusiasts would never refer to a mint-condition Hispano Suiza as an "old banger."
October 1, 2015
Possibly my all time favourite children's book. I've never connected with a character as much as I have Myra who felt the same longing for a settled family home as I did (my father was in the army so we were constantly moving) The book still means a huge amount to me but I can't decide whether or not I wish more people had read it - part of me likes feeling like it's this wonderful secret!
January 23, 2025
This was a slower read than some of her others for me but that might have only been life. It is a very satisfying book. As a child, I would have wanted it to have continued a bit more at the end but as an adult, it was perfect. Myra and Wag live on, in my imagination, in perfect peace and harmony.
February 10, 2025
This is one of my favourite books from my childhood. I just love the story and how she portrays the different personalities of the children.
The Forum family live in a lovely house called Apple Bough but life changes when Sebastian who is the second of four children becomes a violin prodigy and after a high profile concert he becomes famous overnight. This means that the children, their parents and Miss Popple their governess/general help/friend end up travelling the world. The children enjoy it at first but after 3 years they miss home and are ready to settle down but their parents are oblivious to how they feel and love travelling.
This is still one of my favourite Streatfeild books. The characters are so well drawn. I had forgotton how hopeless Polly and David Forum (the parents) are and how crucial the grandparents are for the other children to start to find their own way and not living in Sebastian's shadow. Myra in a way is the most special of them all despite not having a talent like the others. She is the most sensible and dependable character apart from Miss Popple and that is why the ending is so special. You get another glimpse of Madame Fidolia too!
An excellent book about a family who are musicians/in to the arts and the realities of being on tour all the time. Streatfeild reminds us that everyone is important no matter if they are talented or not.
The Forum family live in a lovely house called Apple Bough but life changes when Sebastian who is the second of four children becomes a violin prodigy and after a high profile concert he becomes famous overnight. This means that the children, their parents and Miss Popple their governess/general help/friend end up travelling the world. The children enjoy it at first but after 3 years they miss home and are ready to settle down but their parents are oblivious to how they feel and love travelling.
This is still one of my favourite Streatfeild books. The characters are so well drawn. I had forgotton how hopeless Polly and David Forum (the parents) are and how crucial the grandparents are for the other children to start to find their own way and not living in Sebastian's shadow. Myra in a way is the most special of them all despite not having a talent like the others. She is the most sensible and dependable character apart from Miss Popple and that is why the ending is so special. You get another glimpse of Madame Fidolia too!
An excellent book about a family who are musicians/in to the arts and the realities of being on tour all the time. Streatfeild reminds us that everyone is important no matter if they are talented or not.
February 2, 2015
This story doesn't really have any plot and of course you know everything will turn out okay cos this is a Noel Streatfeild novel, but still wanted to read to the end. I love the family in this book and I want to be them with all their love, talents and privilages. I want there confidence, their looks, their staff. These books are like comfort food to me, especially the descriptions of their comfort foods. I want to come home from a hard day of being the best at everything and be fed a 'tea' with five different kinds of cake.
September 9, 2007
Not one of my most favorites--everyone seems to whine a lot, Wolfgang is one of her more insufferable characters, Ethel is just a copy of Posy Fossil, Sebastian is "sensitive" (and suffers from "exhaustion"), and Myra is too good to be true.
And of course as usual the servants are much more sensible and responsible than the parents. Oh, and those hilarious foreigners! They just get so overemotional!
Still, it's never dull, and before you know it you've read the whole thing in one go.
And of course as usual the servants are much more sensible and responsible than the parents. Oh, and those hilarious foreigners! They just get so overemotional!
Still, it's never dull, and before you know it you've read the whole thing in one go.
December 31, 2013
I loved this so much. So so so much! It's now my 2nd-favorite Noel Streatfeild book, very closely following Ballet Shoes - which says a LOT, since Ballet Shoes is one of my favorite books in the world! Oh wow, was Noel Streatfeild an amazing writer.
(I read this book, btw, under its original title, APPLE BOUGH, in the lovely 2nd-hand edition I was given for Christmas - but I think that, at least in America, it was retitled TRAVELING SHOES, if you're having trouble finding it under the title APPLE BOUGH!)
Reading it - and loving it so much - also made me realize that I really need to read all the other Noel Streatfeild books. Until now, I'd read maybe five of them - but she wrote SO MANY! So my 2014 reading project is going to be to read at least one new-to-me Noel Streatfeild book a month. A resolution that makes me happy! :)
(I read this book, btw, under its original title, APPLE BOUGH, in the lovely 2nd-hand edition I was given for Christmas - but I think that, at least in America, it was retitled TRAVELING SHOES, if you're having trouble finding it under the title APPLE BOUGH!)
Reading it - and loving it so much - also made me realize that I really need to read all the other Noel Streatfeild books. Until now, I'd read maybe five of them - but she wrote SO MANY! So my 2014 reading project is going to be to read at least one new-to-me Noel Streatfeild book a month. A resolution that makes me happy! :)
December 3, 2010
The gifted Forum children--Myra, Sebastian, Wolfgang and Ettie--to their clueless parents' surprise are weary of traveling around accompanying violinist Sebastian, and finally find a home of their own. Myra is the most appealing character: she doesn't think she has any gifts, but she's the glue that holds the family together. Also known as _Traveling Shoes_. Fans of Hilary McKay's stories about the Casson family (beginning with _Saffy's Angel_) will like this.
October 19, 2015
Not one I read as a child, but worth the wait. NS really excels at sibling relationships and they run brilliantly through this story. Myra - quiet, unassuming, steady - is the real heroine here, the heart and the home, and the ending just had me in floods.
Lots of NS's books are about searching for a home, and what makes a true home. This is the one where she does it the best.
Lots of NS's books are about searching for a home, and what makes a true home. This is the one where she does it the best.
July 13, 2015
Now that I think about it, The Penderwicks in Spring has a storyline that feels like an outgrowth of part of Traveling Shoes. This is not a good book, by the way. But it's got some moments that do ring true.
July 1, 2008
This is another Streatfeild that I reread regularly. One day I will have to track down a hard cover edition, as my pb is failing.
April 5, 2009
I found this on accident on the 48 cent carts when I was picking some books to mail to Mom, and then when I was in Florida she leant it to me and it was fanTASTic!
September 24, 2020
I really enjoyed this book. I picked it up when we were traveling in England as I hadn't seen it in the US before. It's about a family who takes up world travel when one of the kids in their family is discovered to be a virtuoso on the violin. However, after traveling for a few years, the kids in the family are tired of not having a regular place to rest and start working to convince their parents to return to England and establish home.
It's a fun and interesting book because it explores what it's like to travel vs. what it's like to experience home and the familiar. I thought it argued the differences well and was beautifully told.
It's a fun and interesting book because it explores what it's like to travel vs. what it's like to experience home and the familiar. I thought it argued the differences well and was beautifully told.
February 7, 2011
I was a big fan of this book as a child. The descriptions of the garden at Apple Bough and visiting the grandparents in Devon were so vivid it almost felt as if I was there. I thought the "there's no place like home" sentiment was beautifully done, especially as they travelled all over the world but always longed for Apple Bough.
I liked how each child had their own individual talent and that their parents encouraged their dreams, and I loved the happy ending, the way that you were expecting it to happen and yet it still seemed to come as a delicious surprise. Myra was my favourite character, probably because I was around her age when I first read it.
Adored the childrens' names : Myra, Sebastian,Wolfgang (Wolfie) and Ethel (Ettie).
Overall, an innocent, imaginative and delightful piece of children's fiction which encourages the reader to use their own imagination and appreciate both their own talents and the talents of others.
I liked how each child had their own individual talent and that their parents encouraged their dreams, and I loved the happy ending, the way that you were expecting it to happen and yet it still seemed to come as a delicious surprise. Myra was my favourite character, probably because I was around her age when I first read it.
Adored the childrens' names : Myra, Sebastian,Wolfgang (Wolfie) and Ethel (Ettie).
Overall, an innocent, imaginative and delightful piece of children's fiction which encourages the reader to use their own imagination and appreciate both their own talents and the talents of others.
March 29, 2025
A typical Streatfeild family, with a highly gifted 12-year-old violinist, have been travelling around the world for a couple of years. However the other children long for a permanent home. There's a talented ballet dancer, a potential popular song writer who also likes to recite, and a very nicely drawn big sister who doesn't think she has any real talent at all.
It's a lovely book set in the middle of the 20th century, featuring family values and relationships. There's some mild humour and several surprisingly moving sections. Recommended for anyone aged about eight or over, including adults. Great as a read-aloud, too.
Latest longer review: https://suesbookreviews.blogspot.com/...
It's a lovely book set in the middle of the 20th century, featuring family values and relationships. There's some mild humour and several surprisingly moving sections. Recommended for anyone aged about eight or over, including adults. Great as a read-aloud, too.
Latest longer review: https://suesbookreviews.blogspot.com/...
September 17, 2017
A lovely story. Similar to Noel Streatfeild's other books- there's the famous child, the dancer and the actor but among them, there's also a want for a true home and that's the true message of the story.
The one thing I really didn't like though...- Polly. She REALLY infuriated me as a character as she was a mother who was just so ANNOYING!! She was selfish and couldn't even see that her children were miserable. She just assumed they were happy as she was. AGH so annoying!!
(But seriously, read this book, it's really good!)
The one thing I really didn't like though...- Polly. She REALLY infuriated me as a character as she was a mother who was just so ANNOYING!! She was selfish and couldn't even see that her children were miserable. She just assumed they were happy as she was. AGH so annoying!!
(But seriously, read this book, it's really good!)
December 29, 2016
I have always loved Noel Streatfeild's books and as a child I got my library to ILL them for me or hunted through second hand book stores to find all of them. She tells the perfect "girls stories". I was always able to find one character in each book that was my favorite. They definitely stand up to re-reads.
April 29, 2009
The American title, 'Traveling Shoes', makes a lot of sense here (as opposed to just being a desperate attempt to give it a 'Shoe' title!). Quite liked this one, though I wasn't as keen on any of the kids, really. Except perhaps one of the girls.
January 3, 2011
My favorite childhood (age 7) book a wonderful story.
March 12, 2011
I wasn't sure I would like this book as well as "Theatre Shoes" but I did and do. Similar themes in her books, but this one was very satisfying to me by the end.
Currently reading
July 23, 2011It's good so far.
February 8, 2015
I read this under the title Apple Bough. one of her best.
November 17, 2012
Although I liked all of the books in this series I will admit there was some comfort in their formulaic set-up and nice, neat endings.
April 20, 2013
Starting reading on Thursday, finished today. Written in a fairly simple style but a pleasure nonetheless.
September 12, 2013
Might be my favorite one so far.....
October 3, 2022
Traveling Shoes is the last of Noel Streatfeild’s “Shoes” books, and while I haven’t read every single entry in the series, this one contains a lot of recycled Streatfield tropes. The no-nonsense nanny who loves the children even if she doesn’t quite understand their artistic passions; the serious and responsible big sister; the sweet little sister who lives for ballet. There’s a family Christmas celebration, and lots of tasty but wholesome food, and improbable coincidences that lead to one of the children being hired to star in a film. Yes, it’s a cozy world to spend 200 pages in, but not much here feels particularly new or distinguished, and Streatfeild clearly knows less about classical music than she does about theater or dance.
The title (which I realize was imposed by American publishers) is also somewhat misleading, because Streatfeild doesn’t really pay attention to the details of the family’s travels. The four years they spend touring the world, so that violin prodigy Sebastian can perform concerts and study with great teachers in Europe and America, is glossed over in a few chapters. The emphasis, instead, is on how much the children miss their home in England and how they finally persuade their parents to let them settle down.
The biggest obstacle to this plan is the parents’ belief that families should never spend any time apart from one another. (This is why, for instance, they refuse to let the other kids stay in England while Sebastian is touring abroad.) Yet, we also learn that whenever the family is in northern Europe, the parents will fly back to England to catch up with friends and family… but the children aren’t taken on these trips and thus haven’t seen their grandparents for four years! I think Streatfield wants us to see the parents as thoughtless and naïve, but this detail makes them seem more like cruel hypocrites.
The title (which I realize was imposed by American publishers) is also somewhat misleading, because Streatfeild doesn’t really pay attention to the details of the family’s travels. The four years they spend touring the world, so that violin prodigy Sebastian can perform concerts and study with great teachers in Europe and America, is glossed over in a few chapters. The emphasis, instead, is on how much the children miss their home in England and how they finally persuade their parents to let them settle down.
The biggest obstacle to this plan is the parents’ belief that families should never spend any time apart from one another. (This is why, for instance, they refuse to let the other kids stay in England while Sebastian is touring abroad.) Yet, we also learn that whenever the family is in northern Europe, the parents will fly back to England to catch up with friends and family… but the children aren’t taken on these trips and thus haven’t seen their grandparents for four years! I think Streatfield wants us to see the parents as thoughtless and naïve, but this detail makes them seem more like cruel hypocrites.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 58 reviews