Product Description

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #471043 in Books
• Published on: 2009-01-12
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 32 pages

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.

From Booklist
Her grandson was Benjamin Banneker, the famous self-taught African American astronomer and mathematician (a biography of Baenneker is also reviewed in this issue); but Molly Bannaky's own life story is just as astonishing. This handsome, large-sized picture book shows her as a woman who was strong enough not only to survive harsh times but also to break new ground. The historical fiction story starts in seventeenth-century Britain, where she is a dairymaid who is saved from the gallows because she can read the Bible. After being extradited to America, she is freed after seven years as an indentured servant. She stakes her claim in the wilderness and buys a slave, Bannaky, to help her. They fall in love, marry (even though it is forbidden by colonial law), build a successful farm, and bear four daughters, one of whom marries an ex-slave and has a son, Benjamin. In the final double-page spread, Molly Bannaky is teaching her grandson to read and write. An afterword fills in the history, but the book's focus is on the big, richly detailed watercolor narrative paintings that combine historical pageantry with close-up portraits of a towering woman and her family. Hazel Rochman

Customer Reviews

Making a life in a new land
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.

Nicely educational
"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.

Not just for younger children
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