Customer Reviews

Molly Bannaky

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

"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.

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

I think Chris Soenpiet's work was OUTSTANDING! The pictures nearly come to life. Molly Bannaky is one example. It was marvelous!!! The pictures were excellent and the writing was outstanding! That award was meant to be there. I like to read this book every night! My favorite part was when Molly Bannaky went on the boat to America.

Alice McGill, Molly Bannaky (Houghton Mifflin, 1999)

The first thing to be said about Molly Bannaky is that the illustrations, by Chris Sontpiet, are some of the finest you will ever see in a kids' book. They make this book worth the price of admission, and your children, if they're into the pretty pictures thing, will probably treasure them long into adulthood.

It's too bad the prose doesn't fit the illustrations. Molly Bannaky, the story of the grandmother of scientist Benjamin Banneker, is rushed, uneven, and contains gaps large enough for the author's entire credibility to fall through. I've mentioned kids' innate crap detectors a number of times in my reviews of kids' books; some of the transitions here (do authors really still use the word "suddenly"?) are bound to set them off.

But you've still got the pictures. **

Perhaps America's first true love story. Based on the real life adventures of Molly Bannaky, the book traces Molly's life from English servant to American indentured servant to a free woman with a land of her own. Molly's tale is remarkable not only because it is based on fact, but because hers is a story of interracial adoration. Molly buys an African slave named Bannaky to help her on her farm, later freeing him and marrying him as well. In time, Molly's own eldest daughter would do the same, finally having the child Benjamin Banneker; the grandson of Molly.

Though Benjamin Banneker certainly deserves a fabulous picture book of his own, I found it fitting that this story focused more squarely on Molly herself. The text is respectful without fawning. It explains difficult aspects of the story without bogging down the action. Accompanying Alice McGill's words are Chris K. Soentpiet's amazing illustrations. From the cover of this book Molly regards the viewer with a cool clear eye, neither appraising nor disapproving. No one in this book comes off as gorgeous or a standardized beauty. At the same time, Soenpiet's characters are individuals. Bannaky, Molly's husband, is especially interesting to watch from scene to scene. If I had any objections to this book at all, it might concern the choice of ending. It's rather abrupt, never explaining the significance of Benjamin Banneker, though an interesting Historical Note is tacked on at the end. It would have been nice for the plot itself to have wrapped up neatly without relying on the factual record to sum up for it.

Molly Bannaky did what few other women could. From owning her own farm to deciding who she loved and why, Molly is an above par woman of the 1700s. We don't know much about the individual women of this time period. Quite frankly, you're rarely going to find a woman in a play or film based on that era who isn't accusing or being accused of witchcraft. What a relief it is then to see a tale about a woman who lived her life according to her own rules, despite what the moralists about her might have said. She was a role model then. She is a role model now.

You know that a picture book is truly a GOOD book when you are reading it and enjoying it as a teenager! I noticed this picture book in my younger brother's collection, and was instantly drawn to the startlingly good picture on the book cover. Curious to see who this Molly Bannaky was, I opened the book and began to read her story. WOW!! Molly is truly amazing. She begins life as a milkmaid in 17th century England, and after accidently spilling the milk one day, she is accused of stealing it. Molly escapes the death penalty by being able to read the Bible (law in England at the time), but instead is sent as an indentured servant to America. After seven years of work, she finally claim land of her own. And Molly doesn't stop there-she buys a slave just to free him, marries him, and becomes Benjamin Bannaker's grandmother!

The story isn't the only thing that's great here. The illustrations really are breathtaking and you will find yourself simply sitting and looking at them. Soentpiet has captured the feeling of England and colonial America within these pages; the large size format makes the illustrations even more special.

The story is simple enough for young readers, yet fascinating enough for anyone to enjoy. The illustrations are timeless-what more could you want?

i am the granddaughter of molly bannakey. my mother, alpha collins, her mother, lillian borror kenney, and her mother dessie marie lett. my great grandmother, dessie, was mulato, the daughter of perry lett, the son of samuel lett, husband of jermima benneker, sister of bejamin benneker. this makes bejamin my uncle. anyone can imagine my surprise when my grandma kenney spilled the beans !! she did so by giving me a copy of this book along with many documents pertaining to our family tree. all of my life i was told and claimed italian. after learning of my true heritage, i cannot tell you how pleased i am to discover that not only were my people proud, but hard working, and true heroes !!! there are many, many more exciting things about my heritage that i am anxious to share with everyone i know, and what a thrill to see that many people everywhere are interested in the past shared by myself and the rest of my grandmothers direct descendants.

As I read this book to a fourth grade class, I began to feel uneasy. The pictures are beautiful. The text is simple and straightforward. Yet somehow, the information seemed unreliable. Was it really so easy for Molly Walsh to get the things she needed to establish herself as a farmer? How did she learn to read? How feasible really, was it for a white woman to marry a freed slave and what kind of persecution did they experience because of their marriage? The students were enthralled by the story, and one perceptive boy commented, "So she basically purchased her husband." Hmmm..
The kids asked other questions and I told them I'd look for more information. To my disappointment I have found almost none-just a few very vague references to Molly Bannakey as a descendant of Benjamin Banneker. One source I found pointed out that the historical evidence for the book was based primarily on stories her descendants had passed on to one another. The author should explain this rather than portray the information as fact. It would not detract from the book, but enhance it- a story based on some facts that was probably changed and enhanced as it was passed on through the family generation to generation.

I am descended from Molly Bannaky through Benjamin Banneker's sister. That fact aside, I feel I certainly can speak as a Parent in regards to my opinion of this remarkable woman and this book.

I understand the critisism of the reviewer who said the book does not delve deeply enough, but this is a child's book. It is also a celebration of a courageous woman and what she accomplished. This book manages to show that life may be hard, but it is also filled with hope.

I feel this book leads into Benjamin's story well while demonstrating such things as color and race don't matter, education DOES matter, one person CAN make a difference, and willingness to work hard should always be the path you are willing to follow. It teaches these lessons without boring the reader, nor is the book heavy-handed.

In my opinion, although the book does not delve into all the ugliness of life and societal rules of the time, it doesn't skim over them all either. Any time a story is willing to point out that what saved a young woman from death was her ability to read is not unwilling to visit other ugly facts of the time. Rather, in my opinion, it shows a restraint that allows for questions and answers between parents/teachers and children.

While telling children about history may be adequate, in my opinion it is the children who are encouraged to think, ask questions, and come to realizations of their own that will truly LEARN from history instead of simply quoting facts. I feel this book helps do that wonderfully.