Eloise At Christmastime (Hardcover)

~ (Author), Hilary Knight (Illustrator)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Eloise has always had a rather festive air about her, but when Christmastime rolls around, well, it's "Fa la la la fa la la la lolly ting tingledy here and there," of course. The bunchy-bloused, spindly-legged scamp is speaking in rhyme this time, and in typical Eloise fashion, the verse simply can't be perfectly metered, for what would be the point? She rushes around New York's Plaza Hotel on Christmas Eve, jingling, spreading Christmas cheer, tying tassels on the thermostats, and writing "Merry Christmas" on all the walls. And of course there are gifts to be delivered and wrapped:

For Weenie a roastbeef bone deluxe
For Skipperdee raisin milk
I'm giving the valet a beehive of course
made of safety pins and silk

Her asides, printed in red, are as priceless as ever: "Sometimes there is so much to do that/ I get sort of a headache around the sides and partially under it." Or in a rare vulnerable moment, "For when you are a child of six/ it's difficult to know/ if you deserve a present or not/ at Christmastime/ or so." But enough of that. "We sang Noel for 506/ Silent Night for 507/ We didn't sing for 509/ at the request of 511."

Hilary Knight's pen and ink pink-and-black illustrations are perfect--particularly of the "sugar plums" dancing in Eloise's head on Christmas Eve, complete with crazed elves, Nanny-as-angel, reindeer with glasses, and of course Santa's sleigh with one giant package in it... for Eloise. Kay Thompson's Eloise at Christmastime, first published in 1958 with a different cover, joins Eloise in Paris and The Absolutely Essential Eloise (with additional historical scrapbook) as a much welcomed reissue of the original. And there's always just Eloise. (Ages 5 to 105) --Karin Snelson

Review

First published in 1958 (with four fewer pages of Hilary Knight drawings), Eloise, still six in 1999, seems to have lost none of her irrepressible charm. Yet, this wisp of a Christmas tale does not show her to best advantage: too little happens at too great length. Nostalgic grandparents will delight in revisiting New York's Plaza Hotel and remembering how much their children enjoyed hearing about the antics of Eloise, her pet turtle Skipperdee and her pug dog Weenie. Their grandchildren, however, may just wonder what all the fuss was about. (Selma G. Lanes, Parents' Choice®, 2000) -- From Parents' Choice®

Roz Chast Eloise is smart and funny and knows how to get around annoying adults. -- Review

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4-8
  
• Hardcover: 56 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing; First Printing edition (October 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0689830394
• ISBN-13: 978-0689830396
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #16,966 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

38 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Still my favorite holiday book, November 30, 1999

By	Sam G "sam-80" (The Valley, CA USA) - See all my reviews

I had the original "Eloise at Christmastime" and there are a few subtle changes in this printing. First of all there are 4 wonderful new pictures by Mr. Knight but they took out one of my favorites, Eloise on the couch with Nanny in front of the fire. Some of the pictures have been reduced to put another picture on the page. Lastly the floor plan of the Plaza folded out in the original printing. Those are the differences that collectors will be happy about.

I am so happy that my nieces and nephew will be able to finally have a copy of "Eloise at Christmastime" of their very own and they will be able to pass it on to their children. Hang two-legged Christmas stockings and read this book almost every night before Christmas.

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Christmas at the Plaza, November 2, 1999

By A Customer

I think that this is the strangest of all the Eloise books! I remember that the first time I read it, I'd scratch my head and go, "huh?" when I saw all the weird holiday ideas and gibberish words. Sometimes it makes me wonder what in the heck Kay Thompson was taking at the time! Needless to say, even though it is very good, it's not my favorite Eloise book. I've read all the Eloise books... they provide great maxims for daily living, such as "getting bored is not allowed" (the first book, "Eloise"). I repeat this to my friends a lot of the time. Anybody, whether child or grownup, can learn a lot from Eloise.

18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book is a family tradition to read., November 19, 1999

By	Jean Brown (Ottawa,Ontario,Canada) - See all my reviews

This book was purchased by my mother back when my sisters and I were little. I was given the copy my mother had when I had the first grandchild and my sisters were angry about that! But now they are finally going to get their own copies for their family library and all the grandchildren will be able to read the hilarious adventures of Eloise!