Jill Murphy
(Walker Books)
Mothering Sunday is nearly upon us and no other series has ever quite captured the highs and lows of parenthood as effectively as Jill Murphy’s Large Family series. The first in the series, Five Minutes’ Peace, celebrates its thirtieth birthday this year and has been republished in several formats for the occasion.
The children were having breakfast.
This was not a pleasant sight.
So begins Mrs Large’s day, and though thirty years might be a lifetime in children’s publishing terms, her doomed and desperate plea for a bit of ‘me time’ to escape the pandemonium of the kitchen has not aged a bit. We have all been there, and we can all relate to it, harassed parent or child not comprehending his mother’s need for a break alike, making it the perfect picturebook to share. Murphy’s shrewd observations and her knack for recreating the chaotic yet loving warm and loving environment of family life will resonate with all members of the family. It is simple, funny, heartwarming , relatable and it never gets old; the sure signs of a true classic.
Buy Five Minutes’ Peace here
source: review copy
