Five minutes' peace

All Mrs. Large wants is five minutes' peace from her energetic children, but chaos follows her all the way from the kitchen to the bath and back again.

Author Notes

Jill Murphy was born in London, England on July 5, 1949. She attended the Chelsea Art School and the Croydon Art School. Before becoming a full-time author and illustrator, she worked as a nanny and in a children's home. Her first book, The Worst Witch, was published when she was 24 years old and became the first book in The Worst Witch series. She is also known for her Mr. and Mrs. Large picture books. Her works has won numerous awards including the 1980 Kate Greenaway Medal for Peace at Last, the 1987 Parents Magazine Best Books for Babies Award for Five Minutes' Peace, and the 1995 Smarties Book Prize, the 1996 Sheffield Children's Book Award, and the 1996 Gateshead Gold Award for The Last Noo-Noo.

(Bowker Author Biography)

Reviews 3

School Library Journal Review

PreS-Gr 2 Mrs. Large determines to have just five minutes' peace from the mess and confusion of her beloved children. She fixes herself a tray, runs a tub of lovely warm water, fills it with bubble bath, and hopes for those precious moments alone before facing the day's activities. The ``activities'' follow her to the bathroom, where, one by one, they present her with their special talents of playing the recorder, reading aloud, and dumping favorite toys from the toy box into the tub with her. When all three children climb in, Mrs. Large decides, with a groan and resignation, that she will try for five minutes' peace in the kitchen. Cheerfully bright watercolor illustrations depict this endearing elephant family with distinctive humor and expression, totally complementing the text on companion pages. However, while the text is simplistic enough for primary readers, the humorous depiction of a beleaguered mother is adult-oriented. Some children may wonder why Mrs. Large wants to get away from her children. Nevertheless, a hearty chuckle can be experienced during a shared reading time between a mother and her childrenperhaps eliciting a bit of understanding. Mary Lou Budd, Milford South Elementary School, Ohio (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Publisher's Weekly Review

Mrs. Large just wants five minutes' peace from her three rambunctious elephant children, that's all. But what meets her eyes one morning when she enters the kitchen? ``The children were having breakfast. This was not a pleasant sight.'' Pure understatement for a mealtime mess that includes an overturned cereal box, a dripping jar of honey, crushed soft-boiled eggs and on the littlest one, the wearing of a once-full bowl of corn flakes. So Mrs. Large lumbers off to the bathroom, tea on tray, newspapers in bathrobe pocket. But her bubble bath isn't soothing for long; she's soon joined by three visitors. Lester wants to play a tune for her on the flute. ``Must you?'' Mrs. Large asks. Laura wishes to read out loud. ``Just one page,'' says Mrs. Large. The toddler offersand he will not be refusedall his bathtoys. Then they hop into the tub. Mrs. Large heads for the kitchen and finds exactly three minutes and 45 seconds of peace. This book is pure joy, one that parents, not just children, will want to keep on hand; Murphy's frazzled mom will find a soft spot in every reader. (1-5) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

Booklist Review

Ages 4-6. A very funny book at least for parents who long for a moment's peace from their offsprings' raucous presence. There's a good possibility children may see their parents in a new light too, though it's doubtful whether little ones will be as responsive to the humor as their elders. After all, the laughs do come at the children's expense. The tale is about Mrs. Large, a mother elephant who finds the sight of her children engaged in a messy breakfast a bit too much. She quickly assembles a tea tray and adjourns to the bathroom, where she hopes to hide out for a spell. To the children's plaintive, ``Can we come?'' Mrs. Large utters a firm ``No, you can't.'' Shortly, though, they breach the barriers, interrupting Mrs. Large's bath and cup of tea with well-intentioned attempts to entertain her (``For you'' beams the littlest, flinging all his toys into the water). In the end, they're all in the bath and Mrs. Large is out, headed downstairs in her robe where she manages ``three minutes and forty-five seconds of peace before they came to join her.'' The accompanying soft, full-color drawings are light and airy. Fine lines define the shapes, which are shaded with hues that range from sunny brights to low-key pastels. Smaller, decorative pieces of art often accent the page of text opposite the spread's main illustration. An affectionate, beguiling story. DMW. Elephants Fiction / Mothers Fiction / Family life Fiction / Humorous stories [OCLC] 86-643

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