Before President 45 ruined our fantasies about living the carefree life atop a skyscraper, America had Eloise, the children’s book series from the 1950s written by Kay Thompson and illustrated by Hilary Knight. For someone living the cushy life — this girl lives in the “room on the tippy-top floor” of the Plaza Hotel in New York City with her pug Weenie and her turtle Skipperdee — Eloise got around, making her way into the libraries, bedrooms, and minds of generations of children, and her portrait now hangs in the lobby of the Plaza itself. Still, the chance to see these illustrations up close is extra special. The Eric Carle Museum’s current exhibit includes more than 90 artworks from the Eloise collaborations, as well as art from the rest of Knight’s prodigious career as a children’s book artist, poster artist, magazine illustrator, and painter.
It’s Me, Eloise — The Voice of Kay Thompson and the Art of Hilary Knight. Through Jun. 4. $9 adults; $6 students, teachers, seniors, and ages 18 and under; $22.50 family of two adults and two youth. The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, 125 West Bay Road, Amherst. (413) 559-6300, carlemuseum.org.