Eloise at Christmastime

Kay Thompson's Eloise

by Kay Thompson, Hilary Knight (Illustrator)

Yes
Here she is at Christmastime
Complete with tinsel and holly
Singing fa la la la lolly
And over the roar of the jingle bells
You can hear hear hear her say
It's absolutely Christmas
But I don't mind a bit
I give everyone a present
For that's the thing of it
So when it's everly Christmastime
And you're under your Christmas trees
Simply tinkle a bell and have a trinkle
And remember
Me
Eloise

Genres: Christmas, Picture Books, Childrens, Holiday, Fiction, New York, Classics

56 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1958

About the author

Kay Thompson (1909–1998) was an American author, composer, musician, actress and singer. She is best remembered as the creator of the Eloise children's books.

Reviews

[Zoë · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read during my holiday 24-hour readathon, #readathonbyzoe! Watch the vlog here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KcLPp...

[Gerry · Rating 3 out of 5]

It could be said that 'Eloise at Christmastime' falls between two stools but that would perhaps be being a little too unkind for the literal meaning of the phrase usually implies that the object fails to fit into either of two categories. As Hilary Knight's illustrations are excellent that would be unfair although Kay Thompson's text is at times rather wishy-washy and banal and at other times quite amusing.

The story begins quite promisingly on Christmas Eve with a blizzard raging outside and Eloise lounging in front of a blazing log fire with her Nanny, Skipperdee her turtle and Weenie her dog at The Plaza. Cut from this somewhat idyllic scene to Eloise dashing around the place doing a variety of tricks and singing a silly song that goes something like 'Fa la la la fa la la lolly tingledy here and there. Blow music of trinkles and drinkles of glass there's Christmas everywhere.'

A plan of The Plaza charts Eloise's progress through it as she runs, leaps, skibbles, zapps and zimbers around while Nanny tries to organise the Christmas decorations. They put up the Christmas tree in their suite and fill it with 'Ornaments big and bright and all of these sparkling icicles and twirling balls of white'.

Then Eloise gets up to all her tricks again before she joins Nanny as the latter plays 'We Three Kings of Orient Are' on the piano; Eloise accompanies her by banging a spoon on a silver dish. Eloise then flits around doing some carolling of her own and she is joined in her dance antics by Skipperdee and Weenie.

After an hour long chat with her mother 'long distance from the Mediterranean' Eloise gets up to her antics once more because as she says, 'I usually walk around quite a bit or so thinking of a way to stay up hawlf [sic] the night'. But Nanny eventually tires of all these antics and suggests bed but Eloise is not in favour of it. So Nanny takes her by the ankles and carries her off to bed where she and Weenie immediately flake out because 'some of us were rawther tired'.

Eloise dreams of plum pudding with extra cream, reindeers with sunglasses skating on the stars and Santa chuckling and saying 'Dash on to The Plaza my lovely boys. We'll have Christmas punch with Nanny and give Eloise her toys.'

And when Eloise wakes up on Christmas day Santa had come and gone and she imagines that she can see the tail lights of Santa's sleigh through the trees in Central Park. Nanny then reminds her that it is Christmas Day and hurries her off to open the presents that are under the tree. She is overjoyed with what she receives, as are Skipperdee and Weenie, and Eloise opens her bedroom window and shouts out loud to the friends gathered below, 'Its absolutely Christmas so come to the top floor please come all of my friends where ever you are for a trinkle with ME ELOISE.'

And Eloise finishes with the view 'Oooooooooooooooooooooo! I absolutely love Christmas.'

Beguiling as Eloise can be this particular seasonal episode is one that I can take or leave, with the illustrations giving it that extra oomph! I will, however, try another (I have two other Eloise titles on my shelves!)

[Judy · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was more of the same ... or maybe I'm just not in the mood for Eloise.

I felt terribly sorry for this abandoned child who essentially doesn't have parents. Then, to boot, she's trapped in an apartment in NYC!

The best part of the book: the map of Eloise's trek down the halls and through the rooms.

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

Christmas comes to the Plaza Hotel, and that pint-sized terror Eloise is in the thick of things in this third picture-book adventure, bringing her own inimitable style to the seasonal celebration. "Complete with tinsel and holly / Singing fa la la la lolly," Eloise really gets into the swing of things here, finding unique gifts for all of the Plaza staff, gracing many of the in-house parties with her presence, and making sure that seasonal greetings (written in red on the hallway walls) can be seen by all. When it comes to being jolly, Eloise is in top form...

Originally published in 1958, out of print for many years, and then reprinted in 1999 with new cover-art by Hilary Knight, Eloise at Christmastime differs from its two predecessors, both in length - it has considerably less text than either Eloise or Eloise in Paris - and in form. Told in rhyming verse, it reads fairly well, and while the heroine is no more appealing to me than in Eloise in Paris (somehow, what amused me in the first book palled in the second), I found this one fairly engaging. Perhaps, given the determined efforts at precocious cleverness, (comparative) brevity helps the experience along? In any case, Eloise fans will enjoy this Christmas tale I think, and it is to them I would recommend it.

[Heather R · Rating 3 out of 5]

Adorable illustrations. The story? Not so much. Incomprehensible non-plot with a bunch of nonsense rhyming, and not in a cute way. Stick with the OG, or the OE, I should say. The original Eloise is too perfect to bother with this spinoff.

[RG · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eloise, I love you so! What a generous heart she has. Simply the best.

[Bev · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read with my son when he was in first grade.* Loved reading the Eloise books with him. Wish I'd found them when I was small.

*He had to keep a reading log and I just found this when going through storage tubs.

[Rosemary Sullivan · Rating 5 out of 5]

In all of the Eloise books, the precocious 6-year-old's mother is not with her young daughter. Eloise is left in the care of Nanny. Besides Nanny, her companions are mostly her beloved pets. It seems especially sad that this is true at Christmastime.

But I think this lies at the heart of who this spunky little girl is...she is not a naughty child, she is a parent-less one, and as such is free-spirited. Her imagination is not encumbered by a mother or father with conventional rules of good behavior.

Still, Eloise has patched together her own rules of how to treat others, which include giving presents to the people who work at or are guests of the Plaza Hotel, where she lives. That Eloise's efforts at bringing holiday cheer are not exactly appreciated by her audience, is lost on the little girl in her unbridled enthusiasm for the holiday. That irrepressible spirit and utter lack of inhibition, make her a humorous and endearing character.

It is that joie de vivre which makes the book fun, instead of melancholy. Kay Thompson captures Eloise's rollicking adventures in her rhymes and made-up words. The charming illustrations by Hilary Knight convey her boundless energy and milk belly; whirling around, creating havoc, ruffling feathers and warming hearts in the festive atmosphere of the elegant hotel.

[Ashlee · Rating 1 out of 5]

I like a lot of the eloise books, but this one was a bit painful for me to read aloud

[Aly Engaged · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite childhood classics

[Gayle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Irrepressible Eloise puts her indelible Christmas stamp on the Plaza, where she lives on the top floor with her nanny, her dog Weenie (not a dachshund), and her turtle Skipperdee. With decorating and gift-giving, she alternatively delights and appalls the other guests--and brings a smile to my face. Fa la Fa la!

[Lizzy Seitz · Rating 5 out of 5]

5.0 out of 5 stars!

Eloïse giving everyone presents but then having a page talking about if she didn’t get anything it would be ok made me so sad even though I knew she’d get presents! I just love Eloise so much!!

[Norma · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book as a kid, and still love it! Reread it as part of the annual reading challenge.

[Stacia Leigh]

I felt lost reading this and sadly, I didn't feel compelled to finish it.

[Jake Stacks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another year, another hitting my Goodreads goal with literature

[Beverly · Rating 5 out of 5]

The irrepressible Eloise romps through these pages and the Plaza Hotel with all the energy and verve of her antics in the first book.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This may be the only case in which I actually prefer the screen version. Julie Andrews stars in a made-for-TV version of Thompson's Eloise at Christmastime which vies for a position on my top ten film list.

[Dolly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another fairly typical Eloise book. It's out of season right now, but our girls really loved it anyway. This one was pretty nonsensical, but still has amazing, busy illustrations as do all the other Eloise books.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Sometimes there is so much to do that I get sort of a headache around the sides and partially under it."

I adore Eloise, especially at christmastime!

[Bethany · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought the rhyming was a bit awkward, but overall it was rawther charming.

[Kaethe · Rating 3 out of 5]

My fandom is not great enough to bestir me to care much one way or the other.

[Joyce · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVE the Eloise books. It was a real pleasure to read it to my grandson. He was so excited to tell me that he'd ridden in a carriage in Central Park, just like Eloise!

[Ellen · Rating 1 out of 5]

Worst Christmas book ever! I didn't like it at all. I guess it was a sign of the times.

[Alice · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mlle Alice, pouvez-vous nous raconter votre rencontre avec Éloïse à Noël ?
"Eloïse, c'est toute mon enfance. Je me souviens encore de mon livre tout écorné et illustré par mes soins que je n'ai malheureusement pas gardé. Alors, je suis repartie sur les traces de cette petite fille il y a quelques années et cette fois-ci, je la retrouve pour fêter Noël."

Dites-nous en un peu plus sur son histoire...
"En compagnie de Nanny chérie, Fanchounette, sa tortue, Mouflet, son chien, et de tout le personnel de l'hôtel Plaza, Eloïse s'apprête à passer un joyeux Noël..."

Mais que s'est-il exactement passé entre vous ?
"C'est une vraie madeleine de Proust pour moi, Eloïse, alors évidemment que je me suis encore régalée en passant ce Noël avec elle. Elle est joyeuse, pétillante et fait tout un tas de bêtises et c'est ce qui la rend attachante. Elle pense aussi aux autres, à sa façon un peu maladroite, et je crois que je ne suis pas la seule à l'aimer. Mais tout n'est pas rose, contrairement aux dessins, et on ne peut s'empêcher d'être un peu triste pour cette enfant complètement délaissée par ses parents, même si elle-même n'en semble pas trop affectée. Enfin, je le répète encore une fois, mais je pense que les illustrations d'Hilary Knight sont pour beaucoup dans le succès de ces histoires, ainsi que le choix limité des couleurs. Tout cela me donne envie de revoir le film, tiens."

Et comment cela s'est-il fini ?
"Il me reste quelques aventures d'Eloïse à découvrir encore et ce sera fait avec plaisir."

http://booksaremywonderland.hautetfor...

[Gabi Jones · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Eloise series is fun for all young girls and adding a Christmas edition gives little girls everywhere to enjoy these sweet stories at anytime throughout the year. I believe it is also important to have nontraditional Christmas stories as not all families have the same beliefs about Christmas. This book along with the other Eloise books introduces the French language in a way that makes it fun for kids and they don't even realize they're learning a new language. This story also teaches students that giving gifts is just as joyful as receiving them. However it also does teach kids some naughty habits such as writing on walls and being sort of sassy. As well as each page does have a lot of words therefore it might be difficult for younger readers to get through. She also says "rather" a lot but says it like "rawther" for dramatic effect however this is teaching kids how to spell it incorrectly which could cause a habit but I think students will be reading this with an adult so the adult can explain the authors creativity. I think the theme of this book is family because Eloise treats everyone in the plaza like her family whether it is the bellhop or the neighbor; she bought them all Christmas gifts. This will give students a good example that not all families look the same and other people can be significant in your life.

[Cheryl · Rating 2 out of 5]

I just can't. My mother is named Eloise, so I've read the first and picked up this, but no. My mother is an incredible person but the opposite of the character & I just don't care to watch the antics of this little girl.

I do see the appeal, as she gets to do things other kids can only dream of, and also she's cheerful despite having no mother or other children around. And in this episode she gives thoughtful guests to her friends (the staff of the hotel, her pets, Nanny, and a pigeon). So if you like it, more power to you.

[Dannaca · Rating 5 out of 5]

My mother read this to me every Christmas. I read this to my daughter every Christmas. And now I've read it for our Holiday Traditions story time. Eloise, the inimitable, unstoppable resident of the Plaza Hotel, shares what she does on Christmas Eve (decorating, caroling, and walking around finding ways to stay up hawlf the night) and you cannot help but smile. Probably better for slightly older kids, but even the younger ones seemed to enjoy the rhyming hijinks. Do yourself a favor and read this book....even if there aren't any kids around.

[Mckensi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of my favorite holiday/Christmas children picture books. I actually like how the story seems kind of random and spontaneous because well, Eloise is! I love how the story follows Eloise and her experiences through what the holidays are like for her. The illustrations are adorable and so creative! Love to know this is a series.

[Irina H. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eloise, the eternal resident of The Plaza, zims and zooms around bringing Christmas cheer to all the residents of the hotel. And, in rawther spectacular fashion, she brings Christmas cheer to you, dear reader! Admit it, dear adult readers: we ALL wanted to live at The Plaza at some point when we were children, all thanks to dear Eloise.

[Courtney Kleefeld · Rating 3 out of 5]

The illustrations are darling, but there isn't very much happening in this little book beyond skipping around the Plaza, singing, decorating, and gift-giving. Here is where the movie "Eloise at Christmas Time" added a plot to sustain the characters and the world, and the movie did a great job of it.