Book of the Day: The Absolutely Essential Eloise

The Absolutely Essential Eloise
Author:  Kay Thompson
Illustrator:  Hilary Knight
Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers (1955)

We are on the fence about Eloise.   On the one hand, the books are long, long, long and Eloise can be a little bit annoying.   Mirette gets bored, bored, bored before the book ends, so we don't ususally read it in one sitting.

 On the other hand, there's something wonderfully fiesty about Eloise.   I think kids are drawn to characters that are doing things on their own (the need to achieve) and Eloise is that kid.  Dang, how fun would it be to run around a hotel for hours on end with no parents around (even in my mind today it conjures up dreams of my own childhood longings).

In fact, it reminds me of an experience I had while travelling in Zimbabwe, my friend and I spent a few nights in the newly aquired mansion of our friend.   It was completely empty and we had such a great time running around, pretending to be rich and famous.

But the thing that I love most about Eloise is the word play.   The way Kay Thompson is able to capture the cadance and reasoning of a child is amazing.  Here's some examples:   In reference to her nanny, "sometimes I hit her on the ankle with a tassel.  She is my mostly companion;"  Nanny "skibbles" over to slam the windows shut."  "Nanny likes her coffee hot hot hot An egg cup makes a very good hat;" "Once there was this most terriblest storm. . . and on and on and on"   

I also get the sense that Eloise would not be written in todays day and age.   It just has this old feel from some golden era of big hotels and lonely kids living in penthouse suites.  

The author, Kay Thompson, was a piano prodigy, a very well regarded voice  trainer, and a show woman. Eloise was her alter ego, a way to amuse her friends--she would tell Eloise stories or pretend to be her.  If she was late for instance, she would say:  I am Eloise.  I am six.    She wasn't expecting Eloise to be such a hit.   It turned into a huge franchise with clothing, dolls and get this---at the Plaza hotel you could call and talk to Eloise as well as eat Eloise type food at the restuarant. It reminds me of the current day fascination with American Girl Dolls.

She sounds a little bit mysterious--she'd never talk about her childhood, refused to be interviewed, and stopped some printings of her four other Eloise books (which have now been reissued).  She died in 1998.  

Hilary Knight (a man by the way) grew up on Long Island with artist/writer parents.  A friend of Kay's lived next door and set the two of them up.   The rest is history.  Knight has a painting up at the Plaza (the first one he did was stolen and never found).    There is also an Eloise room at the Museum of the City of New York.   Knight has illustrated many other children's books and still lives in New York, right by the Plaza Hotel. 

This website says it all (and way way way more ):   http://www.eloisewebsite.com/index.html

See ya at the Plaza.