Eloise by Kay Thompson

Eloise review by Sarah Bartholomew

1. 
   Bibliography

Thompson, Kay. Eloise. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1955. ISBN 9780671223502

2. Summary

Eloise follows the life of six-year-old Eloise who lives at the Plaza Hotel in New York City. She is a very busy child, always finding things in the hotel to explore, employees to pester, and trouble she can get into. Eloise has a very curious mind and an active imagination. This allows her to fill her day with an abundance of adventures and experiences. Nanny helps to raise Eloise as best she can, but Eloise is more often than not alone exploring the Plaza. Eloise explains what a typical day at the Plaza looks like for her. She plays with her pet turtle and dog, enjoys rides on the elevator, interacting with guests and employees, driving her nanny and tutor insane, as well as the more typical antics of an average six-year-old such as playing with dolls and pretending. Eloise’s life is far from commonplace, but her mind works just like every other six-year-old. 

3. Critical Analysis

Having the book written from Eloise’s perspective was a wonderful artistic choice. The reader is better able to see just how this six-year-old’s mind works. The text reads just as if it was written by an actual child. There are some parts that are extremely random, but that is exactly how a child’s mind works. This helps to create a relatable character for children. It also works to keep the reader’s attention as there is very little that can be assumed. One never quite knows what Eloise will do next. Even though the book simply follows a day in the life of Eloise at the Plaza, there is a large amount of entertainment to be found in Eloise’s antics. She is constantly exploring and finding ways to keep herself entertained. The use of red and pink as accent colors adds just enough variety to the pictures. The use of red pencil drawings to illustrate what is part of Eloise’s imagination allows the reader to better see into the thoughts of Eloise and understand just how active and vivid her imagination is. Although there are parts of the story that signify that it was written in the 1950s, this book has managed to stay relevant due to the accurate portrayal of a six-year-old girl. 

4. Review Excerpt(s)

From former New York City Mayor Edward I. Koch "Eloise is one of the more delightfully fiendish literary heroines of our time."

From artist Maurice Sendak "My first happy response to Eloise was entirely due to the brilliant, iconic images. That brazen, loose-limbed, deliciously little girl monster is Hilary Knight at his best."

5. Connections

Gather other Kay Thompson books to read such as

Eloise in Paris ISBN 9780689827044

Eloise at Christmastime ISBN 978-0689830396

For other books about independent females

O’Connor, Jane. Fancy Nancy. ISBN 9780060542092

Harrison, Vashti. Dream Big, Little One. ISBN 9780316475099

Chen, Eva. A is for Awesome!: 23 Iconic Women Who Changed the World.          

ISBN 9781250215994