Eloise (by Kay Thompson)

Eloise absolutely loves the Plaza, and kids absolutely love this 6-year-old prankster who knows how to annoy everybody at the hotel, from the bell captain and the manager to the debutantes and the executives. And while the kids are giggling over her antics and the hilarious illustrations, parents will like the sly parody of the adult world.

Eloise checks in with the Plaza desk clerk and the mail desk and makes several calls and then loses her skate key among a crowd of people in the elevator without even a period or a comma to let a grown-up catch a breath. That's sheer delight for children, whose giggles pile one on top of another as the pages turn. In black and white and shades of red, Eloise capers, hops, and prances from page to page, her expression changing from sentence to sentence. The annoying antics Eloise dreams up to entertain herself may worry some parents, but her outrageously naughty behavior will delight kids. Adults will love the parody of the grown-up world and comments such as, "Oh my Lord I am absolutely so busy I don't know how I can possibly get everything done."