“Once there was this little child
You know her I believe
Here’s who she is me ELOISE
And it is Christmas Eve.”
It’s Day 21. Five days to go and Eloise is hopping with the Christmas Eve buzz. It’s time for Eloise At Christmastime by Kay Thompson, drawings by Hilary Knight, 1958/1999.
Eloise is something else. She is the fullest, boldest, cleverest, most annoying and yet completely charming little six year old. I positively adore her.
My main adoration to Eloise is Hilary Knight’s drawings. He is very close to the top of my top ten list of favorite illustrators. He is wonderfully delightful in his illustrations – the layout, the ink, the color choices, the character styles, the constant constant movement. Kay Thompson may have been Eloise in some form herself, but Hilary Knight brought her to the masses and will never be seen without her.
I laugh every time I read an Eloise book. They make my head spin. Things like large illustrations on one page, 20 moving images of Eloise on the next, and then random floor plans of the Plaza Hotel like this one. I LOVE floor plans, so this just endears me to the whole thing all the more.
Eloise and Nanny are preparing for Christmas Day on Christmas Eve. There is so so so much to do. From presents to be had, to caroling the hotel halls, to decorating the tree…
“Sometimes there is so much to do that
I get sort of a headache around the sides and partially under it”
While I’m never sure that I could handle this famous little New Yorker in real life, I delight in her pages. Possibly my favorite part of this whole Christmastime book is her dream spreads that are pink pages. Oh the clever, gorgeous, breathtaking delightfulness. I saw an original of these at the New York Historical Society this summer and they will stay with me for long after. What genius!
We’re on the home stretch towards Christmas and this countdown!
“Ooooooooooooooooooooooooo! I absolutely love Christmas”
Three Books a Night 
Good Morning and Merry Christmas, Happy New Year to new talk next year -2018. This posting on Eloise was pure fun and escapism for me. I enjoy reading children’s stories around Christmas mayhem and presents such an experience for my husband and I has passed. The only time we this unique joy of children is in the public library when 2 year old children find a book to look at and then the singing starts and or the questions – What’s that? In a toy store near girl’s variety of play items, parents tell me what type of toy their child loves to play with at home. One told me she buys a new doll for each grand daughter at various birthdays and holidays, American Doll. Another grandmother said her grand daughter almost owned every Monster High Doll she could see on the shelf or in the catalog. Thanks Eloise is pure charm of a character. atk
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