4-8 years old ( )

Reading level: pk-1
Awards: National Book Award

By the time that I read this, I was in my late '60s. I decided to read it when it came across my desk because it is such a classic. It has been turned into long series of Beginner books, with, fortunately, an attempt to adhere to the style of Hilary Knight's original illustrations.

Knight's illustrations are wonderful, the very best part of the book. She captures a small child perfectly!

The story, on the other hand . . . let me start off by saying that I am not noted for my sense of humor. Books are very real to me, I can't help imaging how I would feel if I were on the receiving end of such behavior. Maybe when I was very young, I would have enjoyed it. By the time I was ten, I would have seen myself more as the narrator of Barbara Bottner's wonderful book Bootsie Barker Bites, with Eloise in the role of Bootsie Barker. Or perhaps Eloise could be another "affluenza" kid, like Ethan Crouch. ( )

My favorite book as a child. It is great for young readers who enjoy longer books. ( )

The frenetically active Eloise, once described by Maurice Sendak as a "little girl monster," made her debut in 1955 in this eponymous chronicle of her many adventures at the Plaza Hotel in New York City, where her antics kept the staff (and her nanny) on their toes. Possessed of a seemingly inexhaustible supply of energy, Eloise liked to ride up and down the elevators, make noise in the hallways, and enjoy room service with Nanny. A six-year-old with a mind of her own, and with very decided tastes, she was never at a loss for something to keep her occupied...

Like Madeline, or Harold of the Purple Crayon, Eloise is one of those beloved picture-book characters that I somehow missed reading as a girl reader. I have no childhood memory of her, and with her shenanigans, I'm sure I would have! Read for The Picture-Book Club to which I belong, where our theme this month is "Classic Picture-Book Characters," Eloise is a book I couldn't help enjoying, even as I groaned at its heroine's behavior. My sympathy is with the employees who have to put up with this pint-sized terror - anyone who has worked retail, or in the service industry, probably has some horror stories to share when it comes to being made to put up with bad behavior from poorly supervised children - but my affection is with their tormenter. Eloise has such a strong voice, such an obvious sense of herself, that I couldn't help but enjoy her antics. In fact, I think that the very things which would make her impossible to deal with in real life - the lack of adult supervision, the insistence upon doing anything and everything she likes - make her story into a wonderful childhood fantasy. She seems to have appeared during a period when the naughty girl, the one who is not reformed in the course of the story - think Ramona Quimby, Junie B. Jones, and Ivy and Bean - began to be such a popular figure.

All in all, an enjoyable read, one that I am glad to have finally gotten to. This edition, created for the 50th Anniversary of the character, includes an afterword about the author and illustrator, providing some fascinating background information about their creative partnership. Recommended to young readers who like stories about trouble-making girls. For my part, I think I will continue on to the next Eloise book... ( )