Publisher Description

"If you are not familiar with these stories, you really have not lived ... you just couldn't get better" Guardian

Mums everywhere will understand the plight of poor Mrs Large. All she wants is five minutes' peace and quiet away from her boisterous children! So, taking refuge in the bathroom, she fills herself a hot, foamy bubble bath and takes in a tray of her favourite breakfast and the morning paper. But there's never a dull moment with the Large family, and it soon becomes clear that mum's quiet time is to be very short-lived! Family life is beautifully observed in this warm and funny modern classic from Jill Murphy.

Available for the first time with the cutest soft toy version of the little one, this is the perfect present for your own little ones!

Author Biography

Jill was born and brought up in London and says that she can't remember a time she wasn't a storyteller/illustrator. By the age of six, Jill was stapling her own little illustrated storybooks together - her mum kept them all and she still has them today! Jill left school at sixteen, and went on to attend both Chelsea Art School and Croydon Art School. Two years later, she finished her first novel The Worst Witch, about a little witch who doesn't fit in at her new school - a story she says was heavily based on her experiences at the convent. She sent it off to three big London publishers, who all turned it down, and Jill "put it in a drawer and decided to concentrate on other things instead." After a spell working as a nanny and in a children's home, which she loved, Jill had a phone call from a small publisher interested in The Worst Witch. It was printed when she was twenty-four, sold out almost immediately, and Jill knew for sure she wanted to follow a career as an author/illustrator.
Jill has written and illustrated numerous books since The Worst Witch was published, including three more books about little witch Mildred Hubble. Jill's work has won her numerous prizes and awards; her first picture book, Peace at Last was Commended for the Kate Greenaway Medal and she was shortlisted for the same Medal for A Quiet Night In, the first of the Mr and Mrs Large picture books about the endearing domestic chaos of an elephant family. The Last Noo-noo, about a small monster called Marlon, won three awards, including the Smarties Book Prize, and Marlon returns again in the acclaimed All For One.

Review

If you are not familiar with these stories, you really have not lived ... you just couldn't get better * The Guardian *
This extremely funny, beautifully observed portrayal of everyday family life will delight young readers and is sure to resonate with parents. The charming, colourful illustrations are full of warmth and humour, with lots of detail to explore. Children will giggle at the familiar antics of the Large family and may even develop empathy for their own parents as they follow Mrs Large's desperate attempts to secure five minutes peace * BookTrust *
Family life is beautifully observed in this warm and funny modern classic. * LoveReading4Kids *
It is simple, funny, heart-warming , relatable and it never gets old; the sure signs of a true classic. * Library Mice *
This classic children's book perfectly sums up the plight of mums with noisy and rowdy children and can make for a great gift for a new mum who won't mind sharing it with her little ones. * LUXLife *

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