Jill Murphy
A beloved British children's author who turned the gentle chaos of family life and school mishaps into stories that felt like a warm, understanding hug.
1949–2021 (age 72)·British author and illustrator·Birthday: July 5·Baby Boomers
Biography
Jill Murphy understood the secret fears and small triumphs of childhood like few others. Before she was published, she was a nanny, a waitress, and a carer, jobs that kept her close to the real, messy world of families. This grounded perspective infused her work. Her first picture book, 'Peace at Last,' captured the universal agony of a father unable to sleep, while her 'Large Family' series of elephant stories treated the daily pandemonium of parenting with warm, witty affection. But her true legacy is 'The Worst Witch.' Written when she was just 18 and published years later, it introduced Mildred Hubble, a hopeless but endearing witch-in-training at Miss Cackle's Academy. Mildred's clumsy adventures, filled with broken broomsticks and spilled potions, resonated because they were about feeling inadequate and finding friendship anyway. Murphy's direct, comforting prose and expressive illustrations sold millions, creating timeless havens for young readers navigating their own tricky worlds.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Jill was born in 1949, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Jill Was Born
The biggest hits of 1949
#1 Movie
Samson and Delilah
Best Picture
All the King's Men
#1 TV Show
Texaco Star Theatre
Jill's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1949Born
NATO founded; Mao proclaims the People's Republic of China
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,450Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Riders in the Sky" — Vaughn MonroeBest Picture: All the King's Men
1954Started school
Brown v. Board of Education desegregates US schools
Gas: $0.29/galHome: $8,925Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Little Things Mean a Lot" — Kitty KallenBest Picture: On the Waterfront
1962Became a teenager
Cuban Missile Crisis brings the world to the brink
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,800Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Stranger on the Shore" — Acker BilkBest Picture: Lawrence of Arabia
1965Could drive
US sends combat troops to Vietnam
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,600Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" — The Rolling StonesBest Picture: The Sound of Music
1967Could vote
Summer of Love in San Francisco; first Super Bowl
Gas: $0.33/galHome: $14,250Min wage: $1.40/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"To Sir, with Love" — LuluBest Picture: In the Heat of the Night
1970Turned 21
First Earth Day; The Beatles break up
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $17,000Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Bridge over Troubled Water" — Simon & GarfunkelBest Picture: Patton
1979Turned 30
Iran hostage crisis begins; Three Mile Island accident
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $37,900Min wage: $2.90/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"My Sharona" — The KnackBest Picture: Kramer vs. Kramer
1989Turned 40
Berlin Wall falls; Tiananmen Square protests
Gas: $1.00/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Look Away" — ChicagoBest Picture: Driving Miss Daisy
1999Turned 50
Columbine shooting; Y2K panic builds
Gas: $1.17/galHome: $113,900Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Believe" — CherBest Picture: American Beauty
2009Turned 60
Michael Jackson dies; Bitcoin created
Gas: $2.35/galHome: $148,500Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Boom Boom Pow" — The Black Eyed PeasBest Picture: The Hurt Locker
2019Turned 70
First image of a black hole; Hong Kong protests
Gas: $2.60/galHome: $224,400Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Old Town Road" — Lil Nas XBest Picture: Parasite
2021Died at 72
January 6 Capitol breach; COVID vaccines roll out globally
Gas: $3.01/galHome: $298,900Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"Levitating" — Dua LipaBest Picture: CODA
Key Achievements
- Created the enduring 'Worst Witch' series, which has sold over 5 million copies and inspired multiple TV and film adaptations.
- Authored and illustrated the classic picture book 'Peace at Last,' a staple of bedtime story collections.
- Wrote and illustrated the beloved 'Large Family' series, starting with 'Five Minutes' Peace'.
- Awarded the Smarties Book Prize for 'The Last Noo-Noo' in 1995.
Did You Know?
She wrote the first draft of 'The Worst Witch' when she was 15 and working as a nanny in Cornwall.
The 'Large Family' elephants were inspired by her own experiences as a mother.
She initially trained to be a painter at Chelsea, Croydon, and Camberwell Schools of Art.
The Worst Witch series was rejected by several publishers before being accepted.
“I just write about things that happen to everyone, like not being able to get to sleep, or losing your umbrella.”
