Eloise: A Book for Precocious Grown Ups

I recently introduced my three year old grandson to this book. He loves it every bit as much as I always did. My mother read it to me. I loved it. My daughter loved it. The story is entrancing. There is something deeply resonant to the fantasy of the little girl who is allowed to do as she pleases in the absence of parents. Yet she is not alone and she is deeply loved by Nanny. The drawings are wonderful and intricate and prompted a wonderful half hour of exploring every little detail.

My daughter LOVES Eloise and she's just rounding the corner to age 4. She sits through the entire book (and it's LONG), anticipates what will happen next and knows when I've skipped something. I choose to skim over the part about Eloise and her tutor (Eloise doesn't like school and says it's boring)...I change a few words (I say she "loves school) as I NEVER want to introduce the concept of not enjoying school to my daughter... but other than that, she gets a kick out of all the mischief and is particularly interested when Eloise is "pretending" with her dolls. My daughter is a NY "city girl" and she lives in an apartment and we can't wait to go to the Plaza one day. Children's books today often underestimate children's ability to listen and enjoy a good meaty story

Eloise is my daughter's middle name. She is named after the rawther precocious little girl Eloise, in Kay Thompson's books. Growing up in the early '60's my older sister had Eloise at Christmastime and I could totally relate to Eloise! You could say that Eloise has inspired my daughter who is now fourteen for seeing Eloise with a pair of toe shoes on her ears my daughter took the initiative to put them on her feet, she is now dancing rawther seriously! Eloise would be proud!
E. Eloise Tulberg: It is always good to know Eloise's methods and tricks for I have learned that using her traveling techniques I have enjoyed my visits to numerous places around the world with my Grandma (Nanny). Too bad my mother doesn't know Coco Chanel. I have made friends with pigeons, room service, and even those people in the that drawing room that just sit sit sit all day long smoking cigars and having rawther boring conversations! Eloise is extremely smart in being the first to notice that paper cups really ARE good for talking to Mars with! Although I have learned that everyday isn't JUST like Eloise's, it's sure fun to try!!

Eloise is what everyone with style wishes to become. She is a girl who speaks her mind, does what she wants, and looks fabulous the entire time. I adore this book, and my only regret is that I have never read the other Eloise books. Every fashionista in the world doesn't even come close to dear Eloise. This is a book for every little girl (and boy) to remind them just how delicious life can be. Cheers to the true Funny Face, Kay Thompson! May she rest in peace.

Children need inspiration and role models to develop their imaginations. Forty years after first reading this book, "Eloise" still remains one of my best friends. This is a must for your children, and it won't do you any harm either. Next time you get to New York City, go to the Plaza Hotel and visit Eloise's portrait in the lobby and don't forget your camera.

Purchased this book last Christmas for my 7 year old granddaughter & decided it might be a little above her reading level. So I kept the book for when she could read it comfortably. Decided the time is right and read it for myself before wrapping it up. Very disappointed to hear Eloise repeat the phrases "Oh my Lord" and "for Lord's sake" over and over. Nothing is added to the book by this and I certainly don't want my granddaughter repeating those phrases as she reads the book. Now, I don't think I'll be giving it to her at all.

Also, in spite of being considered a classic, today's children would really have a hard time relating to the time period. I recently read a Bobbsey Twins book with my granddaughter and neither one of us knew what was being talked about in the book.

Seriously! I liked this book (and Mean Soup) so much, I bought them for my niece, nephew and for myself while in graduate school. Five years later and I'm STILL buying these two books for my friends' kids. Just make sure that when you read Eloise to the kids, you MUST read it fast with a snotty little accent -- that's how the kid's perceive Eloise and they love it!

Eloise is a demanding character... she demands room service even as she demands your love. My mother read this first Eloise to me when I was 8, and I still love her at 18. Eloise is not a book to pick apart and analyze; you just have to hold on and have fun. She lives in a fantastic world born from imagination, and in that world is endless entertainment. She inspires independence, the importance of imagination, and embodies the free spirit of children everywhere. I would read this book to any child in hope of helping he or she cultivate his or her imagination.

I recently taught a workshop with this Eloise book as the theme. I think that the book was entertaining to my group of 6-8 year old children. I think that the appeal to the kids is the pure fun of being bad and getting a way with it, because every child has a mischevious side. As an adult, i found Eloise to be a little annoying, but the book was written for children, so really their opinions count a little more. I think that it is an entertaining book for both the parent and the child, and some references the kids will not pick up on, like "My mother knows Coco Chanel," but the parents will find amusing. Overall, I would recommend this book for a little bit older child, probably 7-8, not 4-6.

There's little more to say. The Eloise books are true classics of American children's literature. However, their appeal isn't limited to children. Far from it, many adults, teens, and children alike all love Eloise.
If you haven't read the Eloise books, you simply must. It's absolutely essential!

How can I review this? Eloise was an integral part of my childhood, and I'm just happy she's back in print so I can give her to all my friend's children.
It's much better to read this as an adult, though. The three-color pictures are not very exciting when you're a kid, and you don't get a lot of the humor in it.

I have to disagree with the reviewer who suggested that this book might be a bad influence on children (Eloise colors on the walls! Eloise says "oh my Lord!"). Seriously, do you think that children are going to model their behavior after the cartoon character in the book? This was one of my favorite library books when I was a child. My mother and I would pounce on it whenever it was in the library. I would spend hours reading it and looking at the illustrations. Somehow, I managed to grow up to be a responsible, relatively deferent adult without even once coloring on the walls or seriously thumbing my nose at authority. This book is fun and challenges children to read and imagine.

Rationale of Eloise
Eloise
By: Kay Thompson
Illustrated By: Hilary Knight
I read Eloise by Kay Thompson, illustrated by Hilary Knight. Eloise is a story for anyone who has lost their inner child in them and can't find it. Search no longer, Eloise is the perfect book for any age between young children and "precocious grown ups." I awarded Eloise four out of five stars because it was funny, impertinent, but also bratty.
As the story goes, Eloise is a six year-old girl living in The Plaza Hotel located in an urban city, and is very proud of it. Eloise takes advantage that The Plaza Hotel is an expensive, cushy, and is in an in an adult atmosphere. Most people staying at the Plaza are older men and woman with the exception of course, Miss Eloise. In the way she acts, Eloise is six going on seventeen, but as for true maturity, she is still a six year-old girl at heart. Eloise is a nuisance, spoiled, and just a bray in general. She lives on the top floor of the Plaza. The quickest way to get there is by taking the elevator. But of course, Eloise can't simply ride the elevator like a well-mannered, civilized person. Oh no. Miss Eloise rides the elevator as if it were an attraction at Disneyland that you ride over, and over, and over. Some other things that Eloise does are ordering strange meals from room service (a single raisin, for example) and bosses around Nanny, her nurse.
Eloise was funny because it brought out the kid in me. It reminded me of the familiar desire to want to act three times your age, the desire to want to be an independent person, and the wish of having all the toys in the whole, wide world. You could hear the voice of a young girl shining through the writing. Ms. Kay Thompson writes as if she was the six year-old writing her autobiography of what's happening right at this moment. Eloise's point of view on life is so far from the truth that it is hilarious to listen to and to anticipate for her to once realize that what she presumes is incorrect.

Eloise was impertinent because the main character, Eloise, is VERY rude. Eloise often rides the elevator up and down and up and down just for the purpose of annoying the elevator and pure self amusement. This is extremely rude and obnoxious because the elevator is a mean of transportation and is not meant to be played with like a toy. "I live on the top floor. Of course I am apt to be on any floor at any time. And if I want to go anywhere I simply take the elevator. For instance if I happen to be on the second floor I just press that button until it comes up and as soon as that door is open I get in and say `5th floor please' and when those door clank shut we ride up and I get out on the 5th floor and as soon as that elebator is out of sight I skibble up those stairs to the 8th floor and then I press that button and when that same elevator comes up and as soon as that door is open I get in and say `15th floor please' and then when those doors clank shut we ride up and I get out on the 15th floor and as soon as that elevator is out of sight I skibble down to the 12th floor and press that button and when that same elevator comes up and those doors open I say `the Lobby please'and then those doors clank shut and we ride down without saying absolutely one word and then I get into the next elevator and go all the way up." Eloise doesn't seem to realize that what she is doing is wrong either. Another example of an act of rudeness that Eloise does is that she orders strange meals and snacks etc. from Room Service. For example, one morning Eloise orders one roast-beef bone, one raisin and seven spoons for breakfast and then gazes up at the ceiling and thinks of a way to get a new present. As you can see Eloise is very rude and that rudeness reflects on the story.
Eloise was bratty because Eloise doesn't have any parents around therefore Eloise doesn't have a sense of discipline. Eloise's parents aren't around during the day but to make up for it, Eloise's mother spoils her like there's no tomorrow. Eloise believes that she behaves badly, that her mother and father will not know and that she will continue to receive gifts etc. and in my mind that is very bratty. Another example of why Eloise was bratty is because she makes fun of the people around her and people like the elevator man, the Room Service man, and her nurse are lower life-forms and don't deserve respect. People who do a service to you should definitely be treated with respect and Eloise believes she can boss them around because she has money.
As for the illustrations, Hilary Knight did a wonderful job illustrating Eloise but I must say that there isn't much color! Ms. Knight beautifully drew the story of a young girl living in a big city, which looked to me like a very difficult job indeed because there aren't many descriptive words.
I am rating Eloise by Kay Thompson illustrated by Hilary Knight. I awarded Eloise four out of five stars because it was funny, impertinent,but also bratty. I suggest Eloise for children of any ages but to beware because Eloise's acts may have a bad influence on young children. I looooved this book!!

We borrowed this book from the library because it had so many high ratings on the store and other book lists. It is awful. Truly, this book is one of the worst kids books we have ever read, and we do a lot of reading of a wide variety of books.

The little girl, Eloise, is a spoiled, egocentric, demanding brat that expects the world to give her whatever she wants (and she's the victim if this doesn't happen). Her parents are no where to be found and her Nanny is a complete push-over. Eloise is allowed to do whatever she wants, whenever she wants without regard to others. She's not precocious, she's just a rotten little brat with no manners whatsoever. This book (and the un-read sequels) went straight back to the library - I'm so glad I did NOT buy this book, these are not values I want to teach my children.

I would think someone who would be offended by the style in which "Eloise" is written would be "smart" enough to know that the expression is "for all intents and purposes" and not "intensive purposes."

My daughter received this for her birthday. The first time I read it to her I was confused what the heck Eloise was all about. Actually couldn't wait to finish the book (it's a very long story for bedtime).

Obviously, there are a lot of fans. I'm not one of them. So read it for yourself first then decide if you want to read it.

My son was very disturbed about where the parents were. She wanted to know if the parents were mean and why they didn't love their own daughter. Yikes. I had never read Eloise before, but had heard it was cute. I guess it had its moments, but I do feel sorry for Eloise.

This story is about a misbehaving six-year-old who colors on the walls, throws temper tantrums, makes faces, destroys her dolls, and for all intensive purposes acts like a two-year-old. She is extremely spoiled (and after waking up her nanny announces that "Nanny has to get up and pamper me and spoil me for a while). Parents might object to the condescending way she treats adults and her distain for education. (She has a private tutor who is "boring boring boring" who she doesn't listen to "very often.") Throughout the story she repeatedly says "Oh my Lord!" which some parents may find objectionable. The story is presented in a grammatically incorrect, stream-of-consciousness writing style from Eloise herself, that, if you are able to suffer through it, leaves you craving a well-written story about a much nicer (and more coherent) child than Eloise.