Kay Thompson was a singer, dancer, vocal arranger and coach to many MGM musicals in the 1940s. The Eloise character grew out of the voice of a precocious six-year-old she used to put on to amuse her friends. Collaborating with Hilary Knight on what was an immediate bestseller, Kay Thompson and Hilary Knight became literary sensations when the book was first published in 1955. More than 2 million copies have been sold to date and there are 3 more to be reissued my S&S!