He buries one in the garden (it transpires later in the book that this is in the hope that a noo-noo tree may grow), which leaves him one last pink one. The book has colourful illustration which describes the story, making it easy for children to follow. There were 99 distinctions of both kinds in 44 years including three for 1980 and three for 1987 (one highly commended).

The plan is based on an engaging text that allows for exciting opportunities to develop the children’s reading, writing and spoken language. Murphy was also known for picture books, especially the Large Family series, which detail the domestic chaos of an elephant family. Murphy also wrote Dear Hound (2009), about a deerhound who goes missing after a storm and the quest for his owners to find him. Suddenly, Marlon decides to give up his dummy and lets go of it, sending the bullies flying into a pond.

Loved the twist when he decided to give up his noo boo and send the bullies flying - the character shows great determination to not let them win and keep to what he wanted to do! Five Minute's Peace won the 1987 Parents Magazine Best Books for Babies Award, as well as being shortlisted for the 1986 Children's Book Award. I was listening to a programme about Roald Dahl the other day and he was saying there has to be a bit of you, as a children's author, that remembers much more clearly than anyone else what it is like to be a child, and reacts to things in a child-like way," she said at the time. Jill Murphy was born in London and attended the Ursuline Convent in Wimbledon which, together with the boarding school stories she enjoyed reading, provided much of the material and inspiration Miss Cackle's Academy in the The Worst Witch, which she started when she was 15. Murphy came up with the idea for the first Worst Witch novel, which followed the exploits of Mildred Hubble at witch school, at the age of 14 and based it on her own experiences at a strict convent school.

This is likely to engage children in the class as it gives a very good context to open discussion about some of the things children did or the habits they had when they were young/babies. All the ones she can find, that is, although over the succeeding weeks even the ones the prescient Marlon has hidden around the place, in the bread bin, down the back of the couch, are also rounded up and thrown away. Join our community to get personalised book suggestions, extracts straight to your inbox, 10% off RRPs, and to change children’s lives.

They accepted it immediately, and printed 5,000 copies, and I remember wondering how many aunts and uncles I had, and what we would do with the rest," she said in an interview with The Telegraph.

The author captures a child’s outlook on world around them in the story through the different places that Marlon thinks of to hide his dummy, such as inside a wellington boot. Sam Moore, "Jill Murphy death: The Worst Witch author dies aged 72" (with video "Jill Murphy introduces her latest children's story"), The Independent, 20 August 2021. Mum throws all the noo-noos she can find into the dustbin, but Marlon has a secret supply hidden around the house.She wrote and illustrated her first book, the bestselling The Worst Witch, while still only eighteen, and went on to create the award-winning Large family series, which has sold over five million copies worldwide and been adapted for television. This book has lovely drawings and is funny because the monsters which are meant to be scary have human childish characteristics such as sucking a dummy. Marlon is confronted by a group of bullies with their noo –noo snatcher and this is what makes Marlon change his habit and give his ‘noo -noos’. The fragile threads of mental health: why we should maintain a watchful eye on mental health in our schools. Trees take a long time to grow, and while children wait for their noo-noo trees, they tend to forget all about their noo-noos.