Simon & Schuster Audio and Little Simon are proud to announce Tony and Grammy Award-winning actress Bernadette Peters will narrate a new collection of Kay Thompson and Hilary Knight's classic Eloise storiesEloise, Eloise in Paris, Eloise in Moscow, and Eloise at Christmas Time to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the very first Eloisepublication. These stories will be available in special book and CD combinations as well as an audiobook-only collection on October 27, 2015.
"I am so thrilled to be part of this beautiful project," shared Peters. "Eloise was my favorite book as a little girl. What a joy to bring Kay Thompson's words to life through these wonderful characters, and of course, to inhabit my enormously talented and dear friend Hilary Knight's drawings. Especially little Eloise!"
Peters is one of the most critically acclaimed performers on Broadway today, having starred in such classic musicals as Mack and Mabel, Sunday in the Park with George, Song and Dance, Into the Woods, Annie Get Your Gun, Gypsy and Follies. She received several Tony and Desk Drama Awards among over a dozen nominations as well as four Grammy Awards for Broadway cast albums. She has also been nominated for three Emmy Awards and three Golden Globe Awards, winning a Globe for Pennies from Heaven.
"We have been proud to publish Kay Thompson and Hilary Knight's iconic character for sixty years, and we are delighted thatBernadette Peters has agreed to join us in giving Eloise a new voice for a whole new generation of children," said Jon Anderson, Executive Vice President & Publisher, Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing.
"Bernadette Peters perfectly captures the wonderful, timeless voice that is Eloise," added Chris Lynch, President & Publisher of Simon & Schuster Audio. "These audio editions are truly delightful family listening experiences."
The New York Times has declared Eloise "one of the most recognizable characters in children's literature," and, with over six million Eloise titles sold since the publication of the original Eloise in 1955, generations of fans have been charmed by the little girl who lives at the Plaza Hotel in New York City. Throughout her storied history, this classic character has been the subject of two television movies, an animated television series and, most recently in March, an HBO documentary, "It's Me, Hilary," produced by Lena Dunhamand Jenni Konner. As she celebrates her 60th birthday in 2015, Eloise, in addition to the four new Book & CD editions, will be featured in a new original hardcover, 365 Days of Eloise, and a new anniversary edition, Eloise: The Absolutely Essential 60th Anniversary Edition, both being published on October 27, 2015, as well as a new Ready-to-Read boxed set, which will include: Eloise Has a Lesson, Eloise Breaks Some Eggs, Eloise at the Wedding, Eloise and the Snowman, Eloise and the Very Secret Room, and Eloise's New Bonnet and, for the first time ever in this format, two new board books, Eloise at the Plaza and Eloise and Friends.