Eloise

Eloise is my favorite childhood heroine. This book came out in 1955, for 54 weeks of which I was 6, and my attachment to Eloise has lasted since my first encounter with her that year.
The narration of Eloise's adventures is great fun, and the illustrations are so charming and sly, from the slight angles of the nostrils of Eloise's understated nose to the guarded glance of the "lady" peeping out the door over the debonair fellow's shoulder.

I am Eloise/I am six." So begins the well-loved story of Eloise, the garrulous little girl who lives at New York's Plaza Hotel. Eyebrow raised defiantly, arm propped on one jutting hip, Eloise is a study in self-confidence. Eloise's personal mandate is "Getting bored is not allowed," so she fills her days to the brim with wild adventures and self-imposed responsibilities. An average Eloise afternoon includes braiding her pet turtle's ears, ordering "one roast-beef bone, one raisin and seven spoons" from room service, and devising innovative methods of torture for her guardians.
Eloise's exploits are non-stop, and--accordingly--the text uses nary a period. Kay Thompson perfectly captures the way children speak: in endless sentences show more elongated with "and then ... and then ... and then... " Hilary Knight's drawings illustrate Eloise's braggadocio and amusement as well as the bewilderment of harassed hotel guests. Eloise's taunts are terrible, her imagination inimitable, her pace positively perilous. show less

Actually,I think this book is multi layered.It can be read as a straightforward story of a very wild little kid,but people seem to miss poignant undertones in this tale.Here is a frustrated,bored child locked up in a hotel with an old-fashioned nanny,no friends,a mother who seems to be a socialite or business woman who is never there,and probably having some sort of relationship with her lawyer. And no father is even mentioned!No wonder she acts out,and comes across as unlikable.Amusing but also thought provoking

As an only daughter of a single musician dad at her age, I was more than a bit of an Eloise. Madeline was always the more admirable character - maybe it was the structure, or the fact that she actually lived in France - but Eloise's hijinks seemed like the kind of thing that every 6-year-old would do, given the chance. She was Fancy Nancy, before Fancy Nancy. (Or maybe FN is Eloise trying to imitate Madeline - but that's another book review.) I like Eloise, because unlike a lot of kid's books these days (I thinking here of David Shannon's "No, David" in particular, and similar works), Eloise is unconventional and spunky throughout, and does NOT end up ultimately tamed by the adults around her. Do you think she grew up and became Auntie show more Mame? show less

My heart goes out to little Eloise, living at the Plaza, with only an old nanny to care for her and really not much to do except get into mischief. Eloise may be more a book for grown ups than it is for kids, because we know where all her weird expressions and antics come from (they come from us, the grown ups) and we get the double standards exhibited by the adults interactions with and judgement of little Eloise. In fact, I'm not sure if there is much in these books for kids, unless they're at least 7 - 8 (not sure why the book is recommended to 3 year olds and over, even if my son rawther liked it ...) having gained some insight into the complicated world of adults.
Eloise does not have the pretensions to be cute, in fact the show more illustrations show her as a rather plain looking abandoned little six year old. She's unloved and without friends and the only world she seems to know is the superficial world of the rich guests of the Plaza hotel ... and the parallel world of the staff who cater to those guests. Her nanny, although perhaps tender with her, does not seem to do but the strict minimum (understandably) and Eloise is left to entertain herself in the rawther child unfriendly environment of the hotel hallways and lobby. Watching how she copes is touching, mostly sad but sometimes quite uplifting. She copies the adults she meets and sees and off and on tries to act like one, but her observations are chillingly earnest. The illustrations purvey the repugnance, irritation and sometimes amusement of the people that cross her path in the hotel. In Eloise's own words: "I'm a nuisance in the lobby Mr. Salomon said so He is the Manager". And yet he gracefully bows to her. There are some rare ones who seem to be fond of poor Eloise, such as Thomas at the Palm Court. They're "both rawther fond of talking ... " and "Thomas has a son in the Marines. " (Eloise probably knows way more personal details about the low ranking staff than the management does, that's just how "spoiled" she is) ...
As you can imagine, a hotel's a busy place, especially one like the Plaza with all the numerous events. Eloise tries to make herself useful and kills time "helping" the staff. "I have to help [our maid] put on those pillowcases or she'll never be through by 4 for Lord's sake". "I am all over the hotel Half the time I am lost" She says "Getting bored is not allowed", but she must struggle with boredom all the same. That's probably why Eloise has got quite a developed imagination. I wish the same could be said of adults sometimes, such as the ones among the reviewers who want to "give her some proper discipline" and see in the expression of that lonely little girl's independence only a sign of bad character and brattiness ...

Please don't be too harsh on Eloise, I truly believe she's doing her best to keep her wits in a cold, cruel world. Will she be fine? I don't know, but if so, it won't be thanks to her wealthy, absent mother, but thanks to the young busboy, the kind waiter and perhaps the random thoughtful guest at the Plaza. show less

Eloise truly captures the spirit of childhood. I've never known a young girl to read this and not see herself in Eloise, and imagine herself as a "city child" living at the Plaza. It really captivates and encourages the imagination. This is a perfect book for, honestly, any age. I read it to my 18 month old and she likes it, and I sincerely love it too. It is absolutely wonderful to read aloud, the cadence is perfect, and there are so many fun repetitions and "rawthers", it always gets a laugh. Just...perfect.

Recently my husband and daughter watched the Disney movie "Eloise at the Plaza" while I was at work. I realized that I hadn't read Eloise in forever, so I got it from the library to refresh my memory. I was surprised by how long and rambling it is. I remembered Eloise as spoiled and obnoxious, but I forgot how the text of the book is like stream-of-consciousness poetry. It doesn't feel like it's really for young children. My 7yo only wanted to look at the pictures and pick out certain notable phrases like "my mostly companion."

Does this deserve to be a classic? It's certainly remarkable for the audacity of the main character. She's not really likable, but I have sympathy for her. She doesn't go to school or have friends or see her show more mother. She is not a rascal with a heart of gold. She is pure id.

In a way, this book reminds me of Lord of the Flies. show less