“Eloise at Christmastime,”
by Kay Thompson, illustrated by Hilary Knight.
Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers, New York, 1958, 56 pages, K-3.
Though it is not fashionable to say today, some books are written for girls and others are written for boys. Traditionally, books written for girls have more dialogue than those written for boys. Books for boys are often filled with action and have brief conversations between characters.
At other times, authors will develop the main character in the book to appeal to either girls or boys. Kay Thompson has done this with the creation of the delightful character, Eloise. Living in a hotel in New York with her nanny, Eloise is a 6-year-old fireball. In the 1950s, when the Eloise series was published, Thompson gave young girls an exciting, unconventional character to make them laugh and dream about personal possibilities. “Eloise at Christmastime” is from the series and readers will see the young girl at her best.
Living in a hotel near Central Park, Eloise spends her days in the company of her beloved “Nanny.” They live on the top floor of a luxury hotel and Eloise, full of energy, constantly runs down the halls and up and down the stairs. She knows everyone from the butlers, to the cooks to the managers of the hotel.
In her own room, she dreams up glorious things that she wants to do. She might be able to fly a plane or sing to other residents of the hotel. Since it is Christmas, Eloise races through the hallways and gives everyone presents.
She then falls asleep imagining what she might give to Santa and the reindeer. She dreams that Santa needs a pair of sunglasses and all the reindeer need mittens for their antlers and scarves to protect their throats from the cold. In response to her gifts, Santa give her gifts. Waking up from this pleasant sleep, Eloise looks over Central Park and points out the tail-lights of the sleigh to Nanny.
On Christmas morning, Eloise begins giving presents to her dog, pet turtle and of course, to Nanny. Feeling great, Eloise calls up room service and has Christmas breakfast sent up to their suite of rooms, and orders the chef to make Christmas pastries for the room service staff. With aplomb, Eloise tells the chef to charge it to her room.
Soon there is a knock on the door. Nanny opens the door and a tremendous surprise awaits Eloise. What is it?
Who is outside Eloise’s door? Why is everyone so happy? How can a 6-year-old girl have such benevolent effect on so many people? Have you ever made anyone happy? What traits did you need to develop? Why does Eloise have so many of these characteristics? To find out the answers to these and other questions, go to the library and check out “Eloise at Christmastime” by Kay Thompson.
The Eloise books are often mentioned on lists of books most popular with young girls. Her irrepressible enthusiasm and energy leave readers both laughing and breathless. She opens up many avenues for young children to see the world from different perspectives. If you are looking for a delightful book, this is just the ticket. I hope you get a chance to introduce your children to Eloise. Her interests and antics will keep you laughing. Enjoy!
