Jill Murphy Books In Order

The Large Family Books In Publication Order

Peace At Last (1980)
Five Minutes’ Peace (1986)
All in One Piece (1987)
A Piece of Cake (1989)
A Quiet Night In (1994)
Mr. Large in Charge (2005)
Lester Learns a Lesson (2008)
Laura Bakes A Cake (2008)
Luke Tidies Up (2008)
Lucy Meets Mr Chilly (2008)
Sebastian’s Sleepover (2009)
Grandpa in Trouble (2009)
My First Year at Nursery (2017)

The Worst Witch Books In Publication Order

The Worst Witch (1974)
The Worst Witch Strikes Again (1982)
A Bad Spell for the Worst Witch (1987)
The Worst Witch All at Sea / The Worst Witch at Sea (1995)
The Worst Witch Saves the Day (1999)
The Worst Witch to the Rescue (2007)
The Worst Witch and the Wishing Star (2013)
Fun With the Worst Witch (2014)
First Prize for the Worst Witch (2018)

Standalone Novels In Publication Order

Geoffrey Strangeways (1985)
Worlds Apart (1990)
Dear Hound (2009)

Picture Books In Publication Order

My Teddy (1973)
Whatever Next! (1983)
What Next, Baby Bear? (1983)
On the Way Home (1984)
The Last Noo-Noo (1995)
All for One (2002)
Mother Knows Best! (2012)
Meltdown! (2016)
Just One of Those Days (2020)

The Large Family Book Covers

The Worst Witch Book Covers

Standalone Novels Book Covers

Picture Book Covers

Jill Murphy Books Overview

Peace At Last

The hour was late and Mr Bear was tired. But he could not sleep however he tried and wherever he tried, SNORE, SNORE went Mrs Bear. TICK TOCK, TICK TOCK went the clock. Would he never get to sleep? The familiar noises, repetition and beautiful illustrations make this delightful picture book an all time favourite with children and adults everywhere.

Five Minutes’ Peace

A search for Five Minutes’ Peace that every busy family will relate to. 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. ‘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.’ Publishers Weekly’It happens to be an elephant family having breakfast. It could be yours. Painfully funny.’ The New York Times’A hearty chuckle can be experienced during shared reading time between a mother and her children perhaps eliciting a bit of understanding.’ School Library Journal

All in One Piece

Four little elephants don’t make it easy for two big elephants to have a night out. Trying to get ready to go out to a dinner dance with four little elephants underfoot is certainly a challenge for Mrs. Large. With one playing in her makeup and another in the kitchen, she wonders, ‘Can’t I have just one night when I’m not covered in jam and poster paint?’ ‘Sharp observers will notice that although Mom has a night out, it is not without decoration…
. The humor and the joke being on, or all over, Mom will…
tickle child readers.’ School Library Journal’All will delight in the rich colors, attention to detail, and marvelous faces that Murphy uses to distinguish her oh so human elephants.’ Booklist

A Piece of Cake

This is a modern picture book classic there’s never a dull moment with the Large family! When Mrs Large decides she is too fat, she puts the whole family on a diet. Biscuits and crisps are out; healthy meals and healthy jogs are in. But for hungry elephants, dieting is definitely not A Piece of Cake! ‘The Large Family’ series has sold nearly four million copies worldwide.

A Quiet Night In

It’s Mr Large’s birthday and Mrs Large has prepared him a meal, as they’re going to celebrate with A Quiet Night In. But as usual in the Large household, things don’t go to plan, and Mr and Mrs Large fall asleep on the sofa! So the little Larges sneak off to bed with all the lovingly prepared food…

Mr. Large in Charge

‘Jill Murphy’s latest insightful snapshot of parenthood is a thumpingly entertaining picture book about elephants, and us.’ THE SUNDAY TIMES LondonMrs. Large isn t feeling well, so Mr. Large sends her back to bed. ‘I ll take charge,’ he says. So while he and the children get busy vacuuming, dusting, and tidying, Mrs. Large settles down for a nice rest. But somehow ‘I want my mommy!’ Mrs. Large s restful day What s that burning smell? is not as restful as she d hoped. Wise moms, well meaning dads, and their spirited offspring will all laugh in recognition at this droll, expressively illustrated story.

Luke Tidies Up

When the clutter in the Large house gets out of control, Mr Large decides to take a stand. Get ready for Operation Spring Clean! But no one finds it easy throwing their treasured old possessions into cardboard boxes; and whilst the house now looks spotless, it feels – WRONG! Luckily, Mr and Mrs Large have secretly saved the most precious things: the children’s favourite old toys! And even Lester is delighted to be reunited with a special old friend…

Sebastian’s Sleepover

There’s chaos in store when Sebastian invites the Large children to his sleepover! When Mrs Smart promises Sebastian a special treat for getting top marks in his music exam, there’s just one thing he wants: a sleepover with Laura, Lester and Luke. Mrs Smart is horrified with the Large children involved, things are guaranteed to get out of hand! This time, however, it’s Sebastian who’s having all the accidents breaking the new TV, messing up his mum’s designer wardrobe and spilling paint on the carpet. When Mrs Smart blames her unwanted guests, Laura, Lester and Luke are sent back home. But Sebastian hasn’t given up on his sleepover it will just have to be at the Large house instead, where anything goes…
and that’s far more fun!

The Worst Witch

Mildred Hubble was a trainee witch at Miss Cackle’s Academy, and she was making an awful mess of it. She couldn’t even ride a broomstick without crashing it and she was always getting her spells wrong. But she managed to get by until she turned Ethel, the teacher’s pet, into her deadly enemy.

The Worst Witch Strikes Again

Summer term at Miss Cackle’s Academy for Witches has just begun and disaster prone Mildred Hubble is in deep trouble again all because of the new girl, Enid Nightshade, who isn’t nearly as placid as she look.

A Bad Spell for the Worst Witch

Is this the end of Mildred’s witching career? Her attempts to ‘save the school’ has turned Headmistress Hardbroom into a sworn enemy, and Mildred herself is turned into a frog. It could only be awful Ethel’s doing how can a frog find a friend to help? Black and white illustrations.

The Worst Witch All at Sea / The Worst Witch at Sea

Mildred Hubble, the worst witch in Miss Cackle’s Academy for Witches, can’t bear to leave behind her beloved cat, Tabby, when the class goes for a week beside the seaside. But keeping Tabby leads Mildred into yet more trouble.

The Worst Witch Saves the Day

The famously disaster prone Mildred, witch in training, flies in for a brand new adventure that makes a perfect Halloween treat. Mildred is starting her third year at Miss Cackle’s Academy for Witches with high hopes of improving her klutzy record. But that s before a curling iron catastrophe leads her to experiment with a hair growing potion with hair raising results. And it s before she raises the ire of Miss Granite, the odd new teacher who doesn t seem to act like a teacher at all. Could she be an imposter? And is there anything in Mildred s bag of tricks that can save the school if her hunch is right?

Dear Hound

Alfie’s your average deer hound puppy curious about the world around him, happy to chase the cat and laze around in his favorite beanbag bed, and very loyal to his boy, Charlie. So he’s extremely upset when Charlie goes away and leaves him with a sitter upset enough that he escapes into the woods. With the help of some friendly foxes, Alfie learns to live in the wild, but he never stops thinking of Charlie and trying to find his way home. And Charlie, of course, never stops thinking of Alfie, either. Will these two be able to find each other before it’s too late? Featuring irresistible black and white line drawings on every spread, Dear Hound is both an accessible, heartwarming story and the perfect choice for readers graduating out of early chapter books.

Whatever Next!

Beautifully written and illustrated with Jill Murphy’s characteristic warmth and humour this is a picture book classic! It is available on CD for the first time with sound effects and music!

What Next, Baby Bear?

While his mother readies his bath, Baby Bear makes a quick trip to the moon.

On the Way Home

‘Well,’ said Claire, ‘there was a very big, bad wolf…
Claire has hurt her knee so she sets off home to tell her mum all about it. On the way she meets her friends and tells them how the fall happened. But just how did it happen…
? Was she dropped by a wolf, a slithering snake, an enormous dragon or a hairy gorilla? By the author and illustrator of the bestselling ‘Peace At Last’ and ‘Whatever Next’, this is a fantastic journey of the imagination that every child can relate to.

The Last Noo-Noo

A classic and compact picture book specifically designed to encourage reading time! Marlon the monster loves his dummies. He calls them his ‘noo noos’. Marlon’s granny says he’s too old for a dummy and all the other monsters tease him about it too. But Marlon isn’t going to give up his noo noo until he wants to! Winner of the Smarties Book Prize 0 5 category. ‘Walker Reading Time’ books are a new series designed to offer all the fun and variety you need to make story time the highlight of the day. The manageable format is ideal for reading to your child or for your child to read to you!

All for One

Vroom!!!! What child isn t fascinated by locomotion? From trucks and tractors to cars and bicycles, young children will enjoy this simple board book that introduces them to the world of things that go. Beautiful illustrations are paired with real life photos of familiar objects to help young children expand their vocabulary and word recognition skills. Designed to appeal to a young child’s love of things that go , each colorful page will engage children for hours of learning fun.