Eloise: The Ultimate Edition [Hardcover]

Kay Thompson (Author), Hilary Knight (Illustrator)

Book Description

Release date: October 1, 2000 | Age Range: 4 and up

If you

love love love

Eloise

(who doesn't?)

and you

cawn't cawn't cawn't

get enough of her

(who can?)

then you simply

MUST

have this

absolutely enormous

book

It has

everything Eloise

not just

The Absolutely

Essential

and jolie Paris

and fa la la la la

Christmastime

and dear gray Moscow

but a lovely

new dustjacket

by Mr. Knight

Even if you have

all the Eloise books

you need this one too

So charge it please and

THANK

YOU

VERY

MUCH

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Frankly, one can never have too much Eloise. For all those who love love love the irrepressible 6-year-old resident of New York City's haughty Plaza Hotel, and shining star of Kay Thompson and Hilary Knight's classic Eloise, the ultimate joy is to see four favorite titles collected in one enormous volume: Eloise: The Ultimate Edition. Sit back and watch as our heroine braids Skipperdee the turtle's ears, brushes her teeth with pear lemonade in Moscow, absolutely goes wild in Paris, and jingles around her lobby at Christmastime, tying tassels on the thermostat. This edition, with a lovely new dust jacket by Hilary Knight, includes our absolutely darling little sweetnik in Eloise in Moscow, the fantastique Eloise in Paris, the rawther festive Eloise at Christmastime, and the splendid scrapbook of memorabilia, photos, and drawings, The Absolutely Essential Eloise. It's all absolutely essential, if you ask us. (All ages) --Emilie Coulter

Review

"Eloise is one of the more delightfully fiendish literary heroines of our time."

-- Edward I. Koch (former NYC mayor!!!)

"Eloise is a model for uppity women."

-- Nina Totenberg (rawther important radio lady)

"Thanks to Eloise, my daughter sought independence and mastery over her life. We loved reading this book, and we've never given it away."

-- Susan Sarandon (rawther grande actress)

"Ooooooo....I just love Eloise! Thank you, Kay Thompson and Hilary Knight. You're the bestest!"

-- Judy Blume (lovely author)

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

-- Maurice Sendak (enormously famous artist)

"Eloise, Kay, and Hilary have been in my life always. And her pug puppy is in my heart. What memories!"

-- Lena Horne (movie star)

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Age Range: 4 and up
  
• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers (October 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0689839901
• ISBN-13: 978-0689839900
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 1.3 x 11.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #36,765 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

63 of 65 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Oooooooooooooooo I Love This Edition of Eloise Best! December 11, 2000

By Donald Mitchell HALL OF FAMETOP 100 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

This is the book about Eloise that Eloise would buy. As you may remember, Eloise is the six-year-old who lives on the top floor of The Plaze Hotel in New York City with her English Nanny, pug (Weenie), and turtle (Skipperdee). Here are some of the ways that Eloise has been characterized: "Holden Caulfield for kindergarten girls"; "a mini-Auntie Mame -- a protofeminist"; and "independent and saucy."

Contained in this volume are the original Eloise story, the Scrapbook by Marie Brenner (containing the origins of Eloise and the story, and biographies of Kay Thompson and Hilary Knight, and how readers responded to the stories as they appeared), and the three sequels (Eloise in Paris, Eloise at Christmastime, and Eloise in Moscow). Each of the four stories contains the deluxe fold-out drawings from the original books, and the Scrapbook has many wonderful photographs and drawings that will delight those who would like to know more background about Eloise and her creators.

With one exception, the material is outstanding. The story, Eloise in Moscow, is very poor in its humor and plot line. But having the story in this collection will allow you to savor those parts of the story that happen to appeal to you.

The reproduction is also superb, except for the frontispieces of the four stories. These should simply have been omitted.

I usually avoid recommending expensive editions, but this one is a good value. It contains all the best material about Eloise, and you may have trouble finding the same versions by buying the books separately. Also, this edition is likely to be a hand-me-down item from one generation to another and another. The cost per reader is probably going to be quite small as a result....

To me, the best of the four stories is still the original. Reading the Scrapbook adds a lot to my enjoyment of that story. Of the sequels, I like Eloise in Paris best. Some people will not like Eloise at Christmastime because Kay Thompson's rhymes are not the best. I can enjoy fractured verse, so I found it appealing instead.

Space does not permit me to review each of these sections in detail here, but you can read my reviews of each story elsewhere on Amazon for the individual books. I gave five star reviews to all but Eloise in Moscow, to which I gave a two star review.

After you have enjoyed this book, I suggest that you grab a partner who also loves Eloise and write a new Eloise story that brings her into the 21st century in a locale and at a time of your choice. Then find a young person to read that story to, and draw some illustrations together. That will add to your enjoyment of this book and of your love of Eloise.

J'aime beaucoup Eloise . . . toujours! Read more ›

28 of 30 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Finally A Treasury December 2, 2001

By Erika Sorocco

Format:Hardcover

This is definitely one of the best treasuries I have ever bought. Eloise is such a fun and adorable character. I don't know who couldn't like her.

This treasury contains Eloise in Moscow, Eloise, Eloise in Paris, and Eloise at Christmastime. Not only that, there's a special scrapbook all about the author Kay Thompson featuring pictures and info about the author of this beloved character.

This is a must have book for the holidays, or anytime. So pick up a copy, and charge it please.

20 of 23 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars It's about time we had all 4 at once May 24, 2001

By Edward Aycock

Format:Hardcover

A few years ago, I was waiting with baited breath for all the Eloise books to be reprinted. It just could not happen fast enough for me. Finally, all 4 were out, and I was happy. Then they came out with this book that collects all four books in one volume for the first time, and I bought this too. Why did I buy this? Well, for one thing, the new Hilary Knight cover is rather fabulous. I am all for new Knight artwork whenever it appears, and this cover was obviously not dashed out but carefully drawn, and it shows. This is definitely worth having for the Eloise fan.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars It starts with Eloise. November 2, 2006

By S. McDonald

Format:Hardcover

To the father who wonders what he's missing, I can only say "It's a girl thing." So many of us long to be outspoken, daring and fashionable--a "Woman in Crescendo," as Sophia Loren put it. And yet we haven't achieved it yet; we're still in training, just like Eloise. That's why little girls (and big ones!) are so perpetually enchanted with her, and why this collection is absolutely essential for someone raising daughters. Bombshell training can never start too soon!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars I'd rawther not! December 8, 2000

By A Customer

Format:Hardcover

All of Eloise's most memorable adventures together in one book, what a joy, joy joy! Me and Skipperdee love it!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Essential for your library August 19, 2006

By gypsy999

Format:Hardcover

My daughters (4 & 6) "love, love, love" Eloise. The book is a classic and would be a great gift for girls 4-8. Eloise lives with her nanny in a posh New York hotel and her antics get her into trouble. She is unique, independent, curious, inventive, creative, sleuthy & oblivious. The line art is fun and adds detail to her antics. We like the Essential Eloise best, followed by Paris. Be aware that the "newer" Eloise books are based on the classics but are not the originals.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars great, except for some errors.............. December 30, 2003

By Jenny

Format:Hardcover

The picures are wonderful, stories are great, but the part of The Story of Eloise, they miss judged the spacing and left out the 1st letter of the starting paragraph. Someone didn't proofread it right. You get all 4 book, one great buy with the extras! ( the scrapbook and the story of Eloise) Hopefully they caught the errors for the next printing. A book you can pass down from generation to generation!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Elise the Ultimate Edition December 19, 2010

By Vivgent

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

I bought this book for my 6 month old grand daughter thinking that she would appreciate it in about 6 years and glad I did. It is a beautiful version with lots of drawings and something a child would keep. I had visited the Eloise room at the Plaza and thought I needed to purchase the book for the future and didn't want to pay Plaza prices. It was very inexpensive on Amazon and the hardback version was in excellent condition. It is very comprehensive - more than you want to know about any one topic but there is a section on the author. My grand daughter lives in Manhattan. The story about Eloise in Manhattan is very appropriate.
[ASIN:0689839901 Eloise: The Ultimate Edition]