Molly Bannaky [Hardcover]

Chris K. Soentpiet (Author), Alice McGill (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 5 and up | Grade Level: K and up

On a cold gray morning in 1683, Molly Walsh sat on a stool tugging at the udder of an obstinate cow. When she spilled the milk, she was brought before the court for stealing. Because she could read, Molly escaped the typicalpunishment of death on the gallows. At the age of seventeen, the English dairymaid was exiled from her country and sentenced to work as an indentured servant in British Colonial America. Molly worked for a planter in Maryland for seven long years. Then she was given an ox hitched to a cart, some supplies-and her freedom. That a lone woman should stake land was unheard of. That she would marry an African slave was even more so. Yet Molly prospered, and with her husband Bannaky, she turned a one-room cabin in the wilderness into a thriving one hundred-acre farm. And one day she had the pleasure of writing her new grandson's name in her cherished Bible: Benjamin Banneker.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This sketchy, ultimately unfocused picture book introduces the spirited British exile who would become grandmother to Benjamin Banneker, the first black man to publish an almanac. After a cow knocks over a pail of milk, Molly, a 17-year-old dairy maid, must go on trial for theftAa crime punishable by death in 1683 England. However, because she can read the Bible, the court spares her life and instead deports her to America as an indentured servant. McGill effectively portrays Molly's determination when her servitude ends and she stakes her legal claim to farmland: "That a lone woman should stake land was unheard of, but Molly's new neighbors saw the way she jutted out her chin." However, the narrative glosses over the evolution of Molly's relationship with Bannaky, an enslaved African she buys to help her work her land, as well as any social complications that may have arisen when she falls in love with Bannaky and later marries him. The abrupt conclusion conveniently introduces Benjamin Banneker and circles back to Molly's life-saving gift of literacy (she is shown teaching her grandson to read). A historical note fills in a few gaps in the story with some additional information about Molly Bannaky and Benjamin Banneker. Unfortunately, neither the note nor the story explains how the surname changed from Bannaky to Banneker. Soentpiet's watercolors span scenes of both public pageantry and private moments, but seem uncharacteristically stiff and undramatic. For example, the climactic spilt milk scene is left to readers' imagination. In addition, the illustrations of Molly are inconsistent; she looks almost like a different person from one spread to the next. Ages 4-8. (Sept.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grade 2-4-The oversized format and stunning watercolor paintings turn this fictionalized biography of the grandmother of Benjamin Banneker into an exciting visual experience. In clear, straightforward prose, McGill tells the story of an English dairymaid sent to the gallows for accidentally spilling "his lordship's milk," but saved because she could read from the Bible. She is exiled to America where she serves seven years as an indentured servant in Maryland. When finally granted her freedom, Molly Walsh stakes her claim and starts a farm, attempting to grow tobacco, but soon realizes that she needs help. She purchases an African slave, Bannaky, vowing to treat him well and to set him free once her land is cleared. The two grow to love one another and break Colonial law by marrying. The story then jumps to the next generation and ends with Molly teaching her grandson Benjamin to read and telling him of his proud heritage. A historical note fills in some additional details. The large, double-page spreads throughout, in which Soentpiet brilliantly uses space, tone, texture, and color, particularly in lighting up portions of each painting, bring depth and drama to the text. The lush green of tobacco leaves; the dark blue of ship, water, and sky; and the pervasive glow of candles, fires, and sunsets augment subtle symbols in composition and vivid characterization communicated through body language and facial expression. A good story in a fabulous artistic package.
Marie Orlando, Suffolk Cooperative Library System, Bellport, NY
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children; First Edition edition (September 27, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 039572287X
• ISBN-13: 978-0395722879
• Product Dimensions: 13.7 x 10 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #528,800 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Making a life in a new land, April 15, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Molly Bannaky (Hardcover)

I love books where reading saves someone's life. As an indentured servant, Molly Bannakay would have been executed if she could not read. Her life was spared but she had to work off seven years' labor and claim land to begin her own farm. What a powerful portrayal of a woman! When she realizes she cannot farm alone, she buys a slave to help her. In fair exchange, she treats him well and he teaches her about irrigation. The relationship flourishes and they marry. This biracial marriage seems ahead of its time and place so I was glad to see that the story leads to a picture biography of the scientist Benjamin Bannaker's grandmother, who taught him to read--and so the reading cycle goes on.

The illustrations by Chris Soentpiet are just like portraits. Each page could be framed and put in an art museum.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Nicely educational, July 18, 2005

By 

Tom Knapp "Rambles.NET editor" (Lancaster, PA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Molly Bannaky (Hardcover)

"Molly Bannaky" offers a slice of early colonial history and a peek into the early days of gender and racial equality in the future United States.

Molly was a British milkmaid who, for twice spilling her master's milk into the dirt, was sentenced to transportation for stealing. Arriving in Maryland in 1683, Molly worked for seven years as an indentured servant before earning her freedom and a few of the basic necessities -- an ox, a plow, seeds, a rifle, etc. -- and the opportunity to lay claim to land of her own.

Imagine her neighbors' shock and dismay when Molly bought, then freed and married, a slave newly arrived from Africa. Although technically illegal for a white woman to marry a black man, Molly was never charged for the act and her husband, Bannaky, proved a useful and knowledgeable member of the community.

Alice McGill's narrative is simple, straightforward and easy for young ears to understand. Her interpretation of the true story is stripped of many details, yet it provides readers with good insights into the life and times of Molly Bannaky.

But this book is a good example where it seems that the artist's name should be given top billing over the writer's. The text is no great stretch for a writer; it's a simple summation of events, but Chris K. Soentpiet's depiction of the people and their surroundings brings the story to life, full of expression and rich detail.

"Molly Bannaky" is, in any case, a good introduction for children to early American history and the gender and racial issues that were a part of the nation's development.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not just for younger children, October 20, 2000

By 

Mary Z. Cox (Tallahassee, FL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Molly Bannaky (Hardcover)

As a media specialist in a middle school, I probably would have passed over this picture book for selection. However, after previewing it, I was stunned with the art and the story of Molly Bannaky. It is a compelling story that would hold the interest of middle and maybe even some high school students. Students who enjoy picture books for the art work will find this a treat. The lighting in this is particularly memorable and I think many young artists would be inspired. This is a wonderful picture book with a compelling story of a lessor known historical character with inspiring illustrations. I've ordered it for the media center. :)MZ Cox