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Kay Thompson's Eloise
Eloise in Moscow
Odd Couple Invade Russia and Produce Best-seller When Kay Thompson (with Hilary Knight in tow) swept through Moscow at the height of the Cold War, the Russians didn't know what hit them. No one could have predicted that this small masterpiece would be the result. First published in 1959 and out of print for more than three decades, their fourth book about Eloise is DELICIOUS.
80 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1959
About the author
Kay Thompson
89 books131 followersKay Thompson (1909–1998) was an American author, composer, musician, actress and singer. She is best remembered as the creator of the Eloise children's books.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 71 reviews
December 7, 2018
After enjoying the first Eloise book, and then finding the subsequent two rather ho-hum - it's not that there was anything wrong with either
Eloise in Paris
or
Eloise at Christmastime
, but their eponymous young heroine's frenetic activity palls a bit, after one's initial exposure - I found this fourth installment of the series quite engaging. Eloise goes to Moscow at the height of the Cold War - published in 1959, Eloise in Moscow is a product of Kay Thompson and Hilary Knight's own unusual trip to Moscow - and the results are fascinating! Staying at The National Hotel - it's no Plaza, but it has its charms - touring the Kremlin with their guide, Zhenka, and taking a brief trip to the countryside to enjoy some winter sports, Eloise and Nanny enjoy their Russian sojourn, although they are always conscious of the many eyes upon them...
I'm not sure that Eloise in Moscow will have quite the same appeal for young readers that it had for me, as quite a bit of my enjoyment here stemmed from the contrast between Eloise's exuberant joie de vivre, and the solid un-smiling Russian atmosphere surrounding her, as well as the insights offered into Cold War politics. I have seen this book described as "paranoid," but given the realities of life in the Soviet Union during this period, and the distrust between the USSR and the USA, I would be very surprised if the portrait offered here of being very much in a fishbowl, and constantly under surveillance, weren't fairly accurate. Certainly, it offers a realistic depiction of an American's view of Russia at this time. Looking back on it now, I find some of it sad, and quite a bit of it amusing. The artwork, in particular, kept me entertained, with a spy following Eloise and Nanny wherever they go - Eloise certainly kept him busy! - and even "ordinary citizens" (or are they?) keeping an eye on them. Recommended to Eloise fans, of course, but also to readers interested in the depiction of the Cold War in children's books.
I'm not sure that Eloise in Moscow will have quite the same appeal for young readers that it had for me, as quite a bit of my enjoyment here stemmed from the contrast between Eloise's exuberant joie de vivre, and the solid un-smiling Russian atmosphere surrounding her, as well as the insights offered into Cold War politics. I have seen this book described as "paranoid," but given the realities of life in the Soviet Union during this period, and the distrust between the USSR and the USA, I would be very surprised if the portrait offered here of being very much in a fishbowl, and constantly under surveillance, weren't fairly accurate. Certainly, it offers a realistic depiction of an American's view of Russia at this time. Looking back on it now, I find some of it sad, and quite a bit of it amusing. The artwork, in particular, kept me entertained, with a spy following Eloise and Nanny wherever they go - Eloise certainly kept him busy! - and even "ordinary citizens" (or are they?) keeping an eye on them. Recommended to Eloise fans, of course, but also to readers interested in the depiction of the Cold War in children's books.
June 18, 2015
There are times when you realise that defining something as a 'five-star' book and thus 'amazing' in the Goodreads schemata, is a process that could be interpreted in many ways. And thus, we come to 'Eloise in Moscow' which is most definitely amazing but amazing in a very distinct sort of sense of the word.
I've written about Eloise before, and I won't thematically repeat that here because, to be frank, Eloise in Moscow is quite different (and amazing) beast. It deserves it's own space.
So what is that space? Well, it's gloriously eccentric and RAWTHER appealing but also distinctly gobsmacking at points. It is a book which is very much a product of its time (published initially in 1959), and opens with the vividly ominous sentence of "They were expecting me" It's not quite what I expect from an Eloise book; these meshes of the vivid and wild and exuberance, and so Eloise in Moscow starts in an odd place for me. A self-conscious place, exacerbated by the row of Russian faces ranged across the bottom of the double page spread and all of them looking at Nanny and Eloise. Behind Nanny and Eloise stand more faces, caught in the evocative movement of black lines on grey and white, the swift curve of a wind in snow. It is a heck of a statement to begin with: this text is eyes and watching and deliberate self-awareness.
This odd, jerky tone continues throughout the text. Lines are isolated as they are quite often in an Eloise text, but in comparison with something like the joyous abandon of Eloise in Paris (which I adore), Eloise in Moscow (note the deliberateness of that location; the capital, the centre, the heart of this alien landscape) is a book full of sentences which are very clearly saying more than they are meant to say: "You only go to Moscow once", "Everybody watches everybody in Moscow" and "It was rawther chilly". This book is fascinating. It's madly appealing, as every Eloise book is, but this book is fascinating and amazing and something that I keep returning to in a sort of 'maybe this time I'll be able to figure it out'. It's a palimpsest of sorts as I keep seeing this text written on others texts and written on by others, all of them disconnected and connected, and yet somehow caught in this continuum of Eloise.
The colour scheme of Eloise in Moscow is muted; greys and blacks and whites, all of which contrast against an exuberant, constant yellow (consider the implications briefly of that colour note) which features throughout. This continues up to the centre of the text where there's an utterly beautiful fold out map of the Kremlin. This is joyful, madly so, and it's a moment that sees Knight on fine form. It's the only spread which involves red and green and blue and these all collide in a vivid snapshot of the Kremlin against the fluffy, snow-tinged borders of the Moscow River.
So then, how do we begin to sum up this intensely brilliant and more than a little bit of its time text? I mean, I haven't even begun to talk about the constant spy references; the spy who follows Eloise and Nanny throughout the text, the shadows cast by characters listening in but stood just out of frame, the sequence where Eloise wanders through hotel rooms and hears lots of people coughing before finding "all of these machines / twirling around by themselves." Naturally, Eloise turns these off before meandering insouciantly off down the corridor (God, I love her).
Maybe that's the right way to sum up this book - by acknowledging its context as a book written during a very specific time frame, but also by remembering just what it is about Eloise that is so lovely. The text itself is intensely richly evocative and exuberance and the book itself is a thing of utter, utter fascination. In a way it rather transcends what it is and reminds me of the intense power that picture books have. They are things which capture the world. It's up to us to decide how we look at it.
I've written about Eloise before, and I won't thematically repeat that here because, to be frank, Eloise in Moscow is quite different (and amazing) beast. It deserves it's own space.
So what is that space? Well, it's gloriously eccentric and RAWTHER appealing but also distinctly gobsmacking at points. It is a book which is very much a product of its time (published initially in 1959), and opens with the vividly ominous sentence of "They were expecting me" It's not quite what I expect from an Eloise book; these meshes of the vivid and wild and exuberance, and so Eloise in Moscow starts in an odd place for me. A self-conscious place, exacerbated by the row of Russian faces ranged across the bottom of the double page spread and all of them looking at Nanny and Eloise. Behind Nanny and Eloise stand more faces, caught in the evocative movement of black lines on grey and white, the swift curve of a wind in snow. It is a heck of a statement to begin with: this text is eyes and watching and deliberate self-awareness.
This odd, jerky tone continues throughout the text. Lines are isolated as they are quite often in an Eloise text, but in comparison with something like the joyous abandon of Eloise in Paris (which I adore), Eloise in Moscow (note the deliberateness of that location; the capital, the centre, the heart of this alien landscape) is a book full of sentences which are very clearly saying more than they are meant to say: "You only go to Moscow once", "Everybody watches everybody in Moscow" and "It was rawther chilly". This book is fascinating. It's madly appealing, as every Eloise book is, but this book is fascinating and amazing and something that I keep returning to in a sort of 'maybe this time I'll be able to figure it out'. It's a palimpsest of sorts as I keep seeing this text written on others texts and written on by others, all of them disconnected and connected, and yet somehow caught in this continuum of Eloise.
The colour scheme of Eloise in Moscow is muted; greys and blacks and whites, all of which contrast against an exuberant, constant yellow (consider the implications briefly of that colour note) which features throughout. This continues up to the centre of the text where there's an utterly beautiful fold out map of the Kremlin. This is joyful, madly so, and it's a moment that sees Knight on fine form. It's the only spread which involves red and green and blue and these all collide in a vivid snapshot of the Kremlin against the fluffy, snow-tinged borders of the Moscow River.
So then, how do we begin to sum up this intensely brilliant and more than a little bit of its time text? I mean, I haven't even begun to talk about the constant spy references; the spy who follows Eloise and Nanny throughout the text, the shadows cast by characters listening in but stood just out of frame, the sequence where Eloise wanders through hotel rooms and hears lots of people coughing before finding "all of these machines / twirling around by themselves." Naturally, Eloise turns these off before meandering insouciantly off down the corridor (God, I love her).
Maybe that's the right way to sum up this book - by acknowledging its context as a book written during a very specific time frame, but also by remembering just what it is about Eloise that is so lovely. The text itself is intensely richly evocative and exuberance and the book itself is a thing of utter, utter fascination. In a way it rather transcends what it is and reminds me of the intense power that picture books have. They are things which capture the world. It's up to us to decide how we look at it.
February 10, 2019
Here she is again, this time Eloise is in Moscow where, surprise, surprise, she finds 'Moscow is Russian!'. And she quickly decides that one only goes to Moscow once. She also notices that 'everybody watches everybody in Moscow', that you are never alone in Moscow and that it is 'rawther chilly' and also 'rawther unusual'.
But none of this prevents her from having a wonderful time as she visits everywhere of note with her guide and interpreter Zhenka, who she tells us is 'Russian'. Zhenka speaks sometimes but on other occasions she is miserably quiet as she escorts Eloise and her nanny to such places as the circus, the ballet - 'there is rawther a lot of ballet in Moscow' observes Eloise -, Red Square and the Kremlin. And mention of the Kremlin leads me to the delightful full colour fold-out four-page spread in the centre of the book that highlights all major points in and around the complex. She was also impressed with the Metro, which she found 'spacious' and 'magnificently decorated'.
Eloise imagines that she is a spy and always carries her telescope around with her so that she can keep an eye on all things and people around her. She also imagines that she is a diplomat - indeed, 'Little Miss Diplomat' - probably because she regards 'everyone in Moscow [as] a diplomat'. And she is disappointed that Moscow does not have and privacy or any magazines and, staying at the National on the corner of Gorky Street, she is disappointed that it does not have a candy counter or any movie magazines. And in the National she notes that the water 'is Russian' so she cleans her teeth in pear and apple lemonade!
In addition she spends time in the middle of the night touring the hotel and to facilitate her action she gives the night concierge, seated in the corridor, a copy of 'Life' magazine so that that worthy can immerse herself in the pictures and leave Eloise to wander at will. And when it is time to leave she gives Zhenka a present and in return she receives some perfume, which Eloise remarks 'is Russian'!
She spends time in plenty of other places, which she describes in her inimitable style and when she departs from each of them she tells the participants 'Dasvidanya' (goodbye) and when they respond she tells them 'Pajalasta' (you're welcome), as she enjoys practising her few Russian words!
Back in the USA she meets the ambassador who asks if while she was spying whether she created a diplomatic incident, to which she replies, 'Nyet! Definitely Nyet!' And back on home soil she tucks into an 'absolutely delicious hamburger on [a] darling little roll'. She enjoys this far more than 'the black caviar from the Caspian Sea', about which she comments, 'I was rawther tired of.'
Once again Eloise's adventures are beautifully illustrated by Hilary Knight.
But none of this prevents her from having a wonderful time as she visits everywhere of note with her guide and interpreter Zhenka, who she tells us is 'Russian'. Zhenka speaks sometimes but on other occasions she is miserably quiet as she escorts Eloise and her nanny to such places as the circus, the ballet - 'there is rawther a lot of ballet in Moscow' observes Eloise -, Red Square and the Kremlin. And mention of the Kremlin leads me to the delightful full colour fold-out four-page spread in the centre of the book that highlights all major points in and around the complex. She was also impressed with the Metro, which she found 'spacious' and 'magnificently decorated'.
Eloise imagines that she is a spy and always carries her telescope around with her so that she can keep an eye on all things and people around her. She also imagines that she is a diplomat - indeed, 'Little Miss Diplomat' - probably because she regards 'everyone in Moscow [as] a diplomat'. And she is disappointed that Moscow does not have and privacy or any magazines and, staying at the National on the corner of Gorky Street, she is disappointed that it does not have a candy counter or any movie magazines. And in the National she notes that the water 'is Russian' so she cleans her teeth in pear and apple lemonade!
In addition she spends time in the middle of the night touring the hotel and to facilitate her action she gives the night concierge, seated in the corridor, a copy of 'Life' magazine so that that worthy can immerse herself in the pictures and leave Eloise to wander at will. And when it is time to leave she gives Zhenka a present and in return she receives some perfume, which Eloise remarks 'is Russian'!
She spends time in plenty of other places, which she describes in her inimitable style and when she departs from each of them she tells the participants 'Dasvidanya' (goodbye) and when they respond she tells them 'Pajalasta' (you're welcome), as she enjoys practising her few Russian words!
Back in the USA she meets the ambassador who asks if while she was spying whether she created a diplomatic incident, to which she replies, 'Nyet! Definitely Nyet!' And back on home soil she tucks into an 'absolutely delicious hamburger on [a] darling little roll'. She enjoys this far more than 'the black caviar from the Caspian Sea', about which she comments, 'I was rawther tired of.'
Once again Eloise's adventures are beautifully illustrated by Hilary Knight.
September 9, 2020
3 3/4 stars
December 13, 2022
Turns out Eloise did Not like Moscow
(Nakedly trying to hit my Goodreads goal don't mind me)
(Nakedly trying to hit my Goodreads goal don't mind me)
November 26, 2024
Eloise in Moscow feels like watching Eloise channel her inner Keri Russell, starring in a whimsical crossover episode of The Americans—or perhaps a lighter version of The Diplomat. In true Eloise fashion, the chaos unfolds not because she adapts to Moscow, but because Moscow is forced to adapt to her.
The juxtaposition of post-Stalinist austerity with Eloise's uncontainable flair is rawther amusing. She marches through Red Square, pokes fun at Soviet solemnity, and disrupts the stoicism around her with her signature brand of mischief and mayhem. It’s a delightful twist on the usual travel narrative: instead of a young traveler soaking in the culture, the culture must brace itself for Eloise.
The book captures the essence of Cold War Moscow while infusing it with Eloise’s boundless energy, making for a chaotic but thoroughly entertaining read. This is Eloise at her best—unfiltered, unpredictable, and wholly uninterested in conforming to her surroundings. Rawther brilliant, if you ask me! And totally one of a kind.
Great to revisit Hilary Knight’s illustrations too - I obsessed over them as a kid. Mrs Piggle Wiggle was a favorite.
The juxtaposition of post-Stalinist austerity with Eloise's uncontainable flair is rawther amusing. She marches through Red Square, pokes fun at Soviet solemnity, and disrupts the stoicism around her with her signature brand of mischief and mayhem. It’s a delightful twist on the usual travel narrative: instead of a young traveler soaking in the culture, the culture must brace itself for Eloise.
The book captures the essence of Cold War Moscow while infusing it with Eloise’s boundless energy, making for a chaotic but thoroughly entertaining read. This is Eloise at her best—unfiltered, unpredictable, and wholly uninterested in conforming to her surroundings. Rawther brilliant, if you ask me! And totally one of a kind.
Great to revisit Hilary Knight’s illustrations too - I obsessed over them as a kid. Mrs Piggle Wiggle was a favorite.
November 25, 2021
Officially this is a children’s book, but it’s just as much of a joy for adults. The illustrations are fantastic, especially the pull out spread of the Kremlin Palace. I adored the writing.
Fits my mid-century semi-autobiographical humor collection perfectly. Note: Do not read if you are feeling cold because Moscow in winter brrrrrr.
Fits my mid-century semi-autobiographical humor collection perfectly. Note: Do not read if you are feeling cold because Moscow in winter brrrrrr.
August 6, 2018
5.0 out of 5 stars!
I want to go to Moscow with Eloise!
I want to go to Moscow with Eloise!
July 15, 2024
I mean - How could I not?
Eloise is a joy and this was fun and fascinating.
A copy for my library!
Eloise is a joy and this was fun and fascinating.
A copy for my library!
October 25, 2024
I'm confused and I really don't remember barely any words I learned in my Russian class last summer and I couldn't finish it sorry
November 14, 2012
We've read several books featuring the rascally Eloise. Our girls like them and they are usually humorous tales, but this is a much more somber, paranoid story.
The illustrations in this book capture the essence of Moscow in winter, with the political and economic aspects of the times clearly defined within the story. It's startlingly still somewhat relevant today, although not perhaps to the levels describes in the story.
I have traveled fairly frequently to Russia with my job in the last two years and I relished the opportunity to see a snapshot of life in Moscow in the 1950s. It's a bit long and I would recommend this book primarily to adults and older children reading with their parents.
The illustrations in this book capture the essence of Moscow in winter, with the political and economic aspects of the times clearly defined within the story. It's startlingly still somewhat relevant today, although not perhaps to the levels describes in the story.
I have traveled fairly frequently to Russia with my job in the last two years and I relished the opportunity to see a snapshot of life in Moscow in the 1950s. It's a bit long and I would recommend this book primarily to adults and older children reading with their parents.
September 16, 2012
Found at an antique store. Hilary Knight's illustrations are truly charming. I may have to seek out some of the other Eloise books.
December 21, 2024
This Eloise sequel definitely has a darker tone to it, shedding some light on what it might have been like to visit and tour Moscow back in 1959. The 40th anniversary edition I got from the library has some neat snippets of what seem to be newspaper articles about the author going to Moscow with her illustrator to do research for the book.
Here are a few quotes from the book:
"Everybody watches everybody in Moscow."
"They give you your key.
Here's who else they give it to:
Everybody."
"Here's what there is absolutely
none of in Moscow:
Privacy."
"Everybody knows what everybody's doing
every minute of the day in Moscow.
Here's what you are:
never alone."
Eloise is a bit more subdued and cautious than her usual self, but she still manages to find plenty of mischief at the hotel where she is staying.
I appreciated all the references to literary figures and ballets.
And I love this quote from the book:
"Oh
I could tell you a lot
but I am only six."
It leaves this feeling that Eloise may have seen and heard many more things than the book lets on, but that they either have gone over her head so she doesn't understand the significance of them, or she feels that people wouldn't listen to her because of her age.
It was interesting reading this book and seeing how Eloise reacts to this country. Eloise takes things as they are--she understands the need to be careful with what you say in this country. And yet her bright energy and childlike light is not subdued in the ominous setting. She doesn't care what other people think of her, and she generally keeps her cheerful disposition. But she also understands that this place is far beyond her ability to reason with it and change it. She is still active in the things she is able to do with her nanny during her stay in Moscow--despite the dreariness, she manages to have fun and make the most of the visit.
I know this is "rawther" (as they spell in the books) a deep interpretation for a children's picture book, but taking such a bright and cheery child character and placing her in an ominous setting certainly makes for an interesting book that made me think.
This could be an interesting read for kids who want to learn about other countries, with a parental note that it is not okay to snoop through stranger's items--even if they snoop through yours in Moscow too--and that you probably shouldn't go exploring a hotel in a foreign country on your own when you are only six.
Here are a few quotes from the book:
"Everybody watches everybody in Moscow."
"They give you your key.
Here's who else they give it to:
Everybody."
"Here's what there is absolutely
none of in Moscow:
Privacy."
"Everybody knows what everybody's doing
every minute of the day in Moscow.
Here's what you are:
never alone."
Eloise is a bit more subdued and cautious than her usual self, but she still manages to find plenty of mischief at the hotel where she is staying.
I appreciated all the references to literary figures and ballets.
And I love this quote from the book:
"Oh
I could tell you a lot
but I am only six."
It leaves this feeling that Eloise may have seen and heard many more things than the book lets on, but that they either have gone over her head so she doesn't understand the significance of them, or she feels that people wouldn't listen to her because of her age.
It was interesting reading this book and seeing how Eloise reacts to this country. Eloise takes things as they are--she understands the need to be careful with what you say in this country. And yet her bright energy and childlike light is not subdued in the ominous setting. She doesn't care what other people think of her, and she generally keeps her cheerful disposition. But she also understands that this place is far beyond her ability to reason with it and change it. She is still active in the things she is able to do with her nanny during her stay in Moscow--despite the dreariness, she manages to have fun and make the most of the visit.
I know this is "rawther" (as they spell in the books) a deep interpretation for a children's picture book, but taking such a bright and cheery child character and placing her in an ominous setting certainly makes for an interesting book that made me think.
This could be an interesting read for kids who want to learn about other countries, with a parental note that it is not okay to snoop through stranger's items--even if they snoop through yours in Moscow too--and that you probably shouldn't go exploring a hotel in a foreign country on your own when you are only six.
March 7, 2022
Saw this in the kids' section of the library and was intrigued by the title. I opened it at random only to find a picture of a picture of Stalin. Thought to myself that this looked like an interesting book, and so it proved. Read it to my kids over and over, they absolutely loved it and enjoyed the challenge of finding the spy in each picture. Evokes the cold war atmosphere beautifully. Black caviar from the Caspian Sea, music from Helsinki on the radio.
Quotes
'The lobby is different and smells like chicken.'
'I always take a bawth in my raccoon cap in case the water is cold but the flaps have to be absolutely down'
'"Is possible to see here hats"'
'...all of a sudden Weenie let out this shriek of barking and stood up on his back legs like Czar Nicholas I and started to sniff and go absolutely wild...'
'Actually they were not absolutely glad to see us'
I can't express how much I love this book, it's by far the best of the series (from an adult's point of view at least) and if your kids are reasonably switched on and you can put a bit of oomph into reading it they will love it too. Everyone in our house ended up saying 'Oh my lord' at the drop of a hat which is some kind of tribute to a terrific book.
Quotes
'The lobby is different and smells like chicken.'
'I always take a bawth in my raccoon cap in case the water is cold but the flaps have to be absolutely down'
'"Is possible to see here hats"'
'...all of a sudden Weenie let out this shriek of barking and stood up on his back legs like Czar Nicholas I and started to sniff and go absolutely wild...'
'Actually they were not absolutely glad to see us'
I can't express how much I love this book, it's by far the best of the series (from an adult's point of view at least) and if your kids are reasonably switched on and you can put a bit of oomph into reading it they will love it too. Everyone in our house ended up saying 'Oh my lord' at the drop of a hat which is some kind of tribute to a terrific book.
October 25, 2017
This story is interesting because it has a political side to the story and would be defined as a historical fiction book. It shows the little girl Eloise in Moscow during a snow storm, and also at the end of a Cold War. This book represents Moscow well because my mom once lived their to attend college, and the language and depiction of Moscow was on point. I liked how it added some Russian language to the book to give it some culture. Also the translation helped a lot. It is age appropriate and can be relatable to anybody who lived in Russia during the cold war. For children this book is a great way to learn also about history that happened in the world, and what people may have gone through. This story will grasp the students attention and the lifestyles of the characters are genuine.
February 19, 2023
I wanted to like this but its just really bad.
The book is very text heavy, which I expected but has no punctuation and the sentences cut off randomly. There are really obvious spelling errors like a W in the word Can’t! The flow is just terrible and she can’t decide between using broken English, or poor imitations of Russian.
The art is ok but doesn’t make up for the lack of interest I had due to constant stops to try and figure out what she id trying to say.
Seriously, skip this. I have no idea why anyone would want to own it. If you must, borrow it from a library.
The book is very text heavy, which I expected but has no punctuation and the sentences cut off randomly. There are really obvious spelling errors like a W in the word Can’t! The flow is just terrible and she can’t decide between using broken English, or poor imitations of Russian.
The art is ok but doesn’t make up for the lack of interest I had due to constant stops to try and figure out what she id trying to say.
Seriously, skip this. I have no idea why anyone would want to own it. If you must, borrow it from a library.
October 28, 2023
Help, it’s the Cold War! Eloise is in Moscow, and she half understands the implications of it. For being written in the Cold War, this book has a pretty good portrayal of Moscow, but it still suffers from being set in the Cold War. This book is full of depictions of Russian culture, but it also has depictions of spies and politics. I think being a kids book helped save it from the terrible fate of Cold War hatred for Russia a bit.
February 22, 2025
Eloise in Moscow, written by Kay Thompson, illustrated by Hilary Knight, is the fourth of the Eloise series. Eloise and the reader get to explore the capital of Russia including the marble and tile subways and the Bolshoi ballet. This book was published in 1959, during the Cold War. Besides being an interesting read, it included lots of knowledge about a country that students and parents were just beginning to be interested in and wanting to learn more.
June 4, 2023
And then after thinking the first three Eloise books were terrible, Eloise goes to Moscow. And this book was good. It was interesting, it was different. Eloise had a bunch of experiences but really wasn't a brat. I'm not sure this was exactly a children's picture book - it definitely captured a time and a place. Now I'm wishing Eloise had gone to more surprising locations.
December 4, 2024
Finally finished the Eloise books! My son told me they were good, but what I didn't expect was the insight into the Cold War era with this particular book. Random but cool!
The books overall are so well done--word choice, illustration choice, everything is contributing to the story and characters.
Eloise can be quite a mischievous kid, but the books are still charming imo.
The books overall are so well done--word choice, illustration choice, everything is contributing to the story and characters.
Eloise can be quite a mischievous kid, but the books are still charming imo.
April 20, 2026
Laugh out loud funny!! Filled with Soviet era humor and Eloise being blissfully unaware of how she’s perceived by others or about the culture of the country she’s visiting. The illustrations are black and white to add to the Soviet vibe with pops of yellow that Eloise brings. The only colorful illustration is a stunning full page spread of the Kremlin.
June 19, 2021
The writing is more bizarre than usual (which is saying something). Even Hilary Knight's usually amazing illustrations are a little meh in this book (the Kremlin foldout is spectacular though). Probably my least favorite of the original 4 Eloise stories.
November 19, 2022
The writing in this was choppy and the sentences weren’t always completed. It wasn’t an accurate description of Moscow either, just a compilation of stereotypes. I obviously didn’t enjoy this nor do I recommend it. It’s weird because this series is so popular and I just can’t see why.
August 6, 2023
Children's Picture Books
Eloise visits Moscow and the popular sights, including the ballet, and shares the 'can't-do's' of her trip.
Continued this series with my daughter after rereading Eloise for the '1001 Children's Books to Read Before You Grow Up' list.
Eloise visits Moscow and the popular sights, including the ballet, and shares the 'can't-do's' of her trip.
Continued this series with my daughter after rereading Eloise for the '1001 Children's Books to Read Before You Grow Up' list.
May 8, 2017
Can understand why Kay Thompson didn't want this reprinted. Not nearly as entertaining as the first one.
June 29, 2017
very creative cover, loved the illustrations. silly story
August 25, 2017
Not so keen on all the Eloise story lines but I am in awe of the illustrations. Rating more for the images than the character's quirks.
December 18, 2017
The story is pretty silly but Eloise's an adorable character.
February 2, 2018
Very wordy. Big adventure, lots of words spelled phoenetically. Precocious child.
June 8, 2018
Curiously tedious.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 71 reviews