Eloise's Summer Vacation (Ready-to-Read Series Level 1) »

Kay Thompson (1909-1998) was a singer, dancer, vocal arranger, and coach of many MGM musicals in the 1940s.

The Eloise character grew out of the voice of a precocious six-year-old that Miss Thompson put on to amuse her friends. Collaborating with Hilary Knight on what was an immediate bestseller, Kay Thompson became a literary sensation when Eloise was published in 1955. The book has sold more than two million copies to date. Kay Thompson and Hilary Knight created four more Eloise books, Eloise in Paris, Eloise at Christmas, Eloise in Moscow, and Eloise Takes a Bawth.

Hilary Knight, son of artist-writers Clayton Knight and Katharine Sturges, was educated at the Art Students League, where he studied with Reginald Marsh. Besides the Eloise books, Hilary Knight has illustrated more than fifty books for children, six of which he wrote himself.

He lives and works in New York City, not far from The Plaza Hotel.

Eloise, Weenie, and Nanny are going on a road trip across the country for vacation!

Children's Literature

One of the "Ready-to-Read" series, this book is said to be a "Level 1" reader, with "an increased vocabulary and longer sentences for children who are just starting to read." Eloise is taken on vacation in the limousine, driven by the butler and accompanied by the nanny and her dog, Weenie. She visits landmarks from Niagara Falls to San Francisco. Text includes words like "service," "vacation," and "supplies," all of which might be very challenging for those who are just starting to read. A minor quibble, perhaps, but no one in this book wears a seatbelt while riding in the car. Eloise doesn't even seem to sit in a seat; most of the time she is bouncing around instead, making her a poor role model for restless young travelers. Cute, cartoon-like illustrations extend the text and provide visual clues, at least about the locations visited on the vacation. Fans of Eloise might be willing to overlook the fact that this book provides text that is somewhat more challenging than the level suggests. Fun for fans of Eloise; not essential for anyone else.