Originally published in 1955, the protagonist of this book is as sassy as they come.
Eloise is six and she lives with her nanny on the top floor of The Plaza Hotel in New York. She is clearly used to adult company and speaks in the most precocious manner: “I live on the top floor, Of course I am apt to be on any floor at any time, And if I want to go anywhere I simply take the elevator … There are absolutely nothing but rooms in The Plaza, Oooooooooooo I absolutely love The Plaza.” I didn’t know Eloise when I was six, but I know that if I had, I would loved this idea – and would have invented all manner of make-believe games around the idea of living in a hotel!

The author was god-mother to Liza Minelli and there was speculation that Eloise was inspired by her. Initially the book was published for adults, but was soon adopted by kids, and became an instant bestseller to be followed by three sequels: Eloise in Paris, Eloise at Christmastime and Eloise in Moscow. Eloise Takes a Bawth was published post-humously in 2002. According to the book’s website, certain editorial changes have been made over the years to make Eloise more palatable, but if you look closely, a bottle of gin remains in Eloise’s bedroom on pages 20–21!

The pen and ink illustrations compliment the text in the best possible way; simply coloured in black and pink they are so are distinctly of the 1950s era, I love them.

An animated version of the books in the series, Me Eloise, has just finished airing on ABC TV here in Aus. I like this TV-adaption: the illustrative style isn’t as retro, but Oooooo I absolutely love the music. The voiceovers were pretty good too. For a taste, visit the Me Eloise website.