Winner of the 1995 Smarties Book prize (0-5 category), this picture book
features Marlon, the monster, who loves his dummies, his noo-noos. Marlons
granny says hes too old for a dummy, and all the other monsters tease him too.
One day, Marlons mum decides to take drastic action. She gathers up all the
noo-noos she can find, and dumps them in the dustbin; but Marlon has secret
supplies hidden all over the house, down the side of an armchair, at the back
of the breadbin, in the toe of his wellington boot. Gradually his supply
dwindles until Marlon has only one pink noo-noo left. Then he finds a blue one
and plants it in the garden. The other monsters lie in wait for Marlon with a
home-made noo-noo snatcher, and a fierce tug-of-war ensues. Neither side, it
seems, is going to give way, when suddenly Marlon decides to let go, and all
the other monsters fall backwards into the pond. Ive given up my noo-noo,
Marlon tells his mum and granny, adding that hes planted one in the garden
just in case he changes his mind. Nonsense, says his granny. Dummies dont
grow on trees. The last picture in the book reveals she is quite wrong for
there is a flowering noo-noo tree! Jill Murphy has written and illustrated The
Worst Witch, Geoffrey Strangeways, Worlds Apart, Five Minutes Peace
(winner of the Best Books for Babies Award and shortlisted for the Childrens
Book Award}, All in One Piece (commended for the Kate Greenaway Medal), A
Piece of Cake and A Quiet Night In (shortlisted for the Kate Greenaway
Medal).