Five Minutes' Peace Book

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

Publishers Weekly

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)