Why Eloise?

The inspiration behind Eloise, the Witch and the Wordsmith

The inspiration for Eloise, the Witch and the Wordsmith came suddenly and Jeanne was able to write it out over a period of a few months. In discussing the presentation of this classic story with Michael, her husband, it was decided to take the ancient story telling approach now mostly lost to our modern world because of film and animation. In story telling the child is involved with language and imagination. Words are central to connecting with the narrator and the story. As such it's a learning experience that is also fun.

Children love good stories. Jeanne has told many to her own crew and now to the grandchildren. The eldest two, five years old, clicked the mouse and listened to the whole two hour Eloise adventure sitting together in front of the computer. A few snack and lemonade breaks were included of course. How Jack, an active run-about boy, could sit looking at the screen for that long, was amazing. But then, like his cousin Kalea, he is used to story telling and already is a good reader. Kalea had heard the story twice before over the previous days but asked whether she could see it again, with Jack.