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Molly Bannaky
A moving story of one woman's amazing bravery and determination follows Molly Walsh who, at the age of seventeen, was exiled from her country and sentenced to work as an indentured servant in British Colonial America, where she earned her freedom, married an African slave name Bannaky, and turned a one-room cabin into a prosperous farm.
32 pages, Hardcover
First published September 27, 1999
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November 5, 2022This award-winning title tells the story of an indentured servant named Molly Walsh who is sent to the colonies over spilled milk. Yes, while milking her lord's cow, the bucket was tipped over and she was charged for stealing milk. Her sentence was seven years long. Once she was free, she bought her own land and also an African slave to help her farm. She freed that slave once the work needed was done and ended up marrying him. Their grandson was Benjamin Banneker who helped plan the city of Washington, D.C. and also convinced Thomas Jefferson that blacks were not inferior to whites in intelligence. Quite an inspiring story and it all started with some spilled milk.
December 7, 2011
Molly’s job is to get up early in the morning to milk the cow. Her clothes are old and baggy. She is at the bottom of the social ladder. One day, the cow she was milking kicked the bucket of milk over, so she had no milk to take to the kitchen. The cook told her if she stole the milk again she would be fired, even though she did not steal it. On another day, she sneezed and the cow kicked over the bucket again. By the end of the day, she was in front of the court. They gave her a Bible (if she could read it, they couldn’t execute her) so they sent her to the U.S. She is an indentured servant for seven years. She controlled the oxen. After seven years, Molly was free to go with an ox, a plow, and a few bags of seed and a gun. She bought a slave and raised him well, promising to release him after the harvest. They ended up falling in love and got married when he was free. They had four daughters and one hundred acres of land. He died. His grandson, James Bannaker, she taught to read and write with the Bible. He went on to plan Washington D.C. This is a great book to give background before learning about James Bannaker. It gives students a glimpse into the roles o women and slaves during the time period.
April 1, 2017
beautiful illustrations
January 5, 2019
I have long admired Benjamin Banneker, the highly regarded scientist and mathematician who helped survey the planned city of Washington, D.C., so I was delighted to find this story about his grandmother.
[Benjamin Banneker was the first black man to publish an almanac, which he did from the years 1792 to 1802. He also wrote to Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson objecting to the injustice of slavery, and enclosed one of his almanacs. At first Jefferson regarded Banneker’s intelligence as an exception among African-Americans, rather than evidence that Jefferson’s perceptions about race might be fundamentally flawed. But three years after Banneker’s death, Jefferson wrote a letter disparaging Banneker and arguing that he could not have made the calculations contained in the almanac without assistance. Bannaker, according to Jefferson, “had a mind of very common stature indeed.”]
Alice McGill takes us back to Molly Walsh’s girlhood in 1673 in England. She was a 17-year-old dairymaid who dropped a pail of milk for the second time, and so was taken to court for “stealing” her lordship’s milk.
The usual punishment for stealing was death on the gallows, except if you could show you could read the Bible, which Molly could. Thus her life was spared but the judge sentenced her to seven years of bondage, to be served in the American colonies.
After seven years, Molly, now 24, was free, and she went out into the “wilderness” and bought a farm ten miles from Baltimore. Her new neighbors helped her build a cabin, but she couldn’t manage a tobacco farm on her own.
In 1692 she bought two slaves from a newly arrived ship. [The author only tells you about one of them, an African slave named Bannaky (also called Banneka) whom she eventually married.]
Bannaky, the son of an African chieftain, had by all accounts impressive stores of intelligence and dignity. He and Molly worked together and grew to love one another. Within three years Molly freed him. The author writes:
“Though Molly had broken colonial law by marrying a black man, her neighbors came to accept this marriage and to respect Bannaky.”
This was important because, as one learns elsewhere, at least 256 white women were prosecuted in Maryland for marrying black men during the colonial period. [The state of Maryland passed its first law against interracial marriage in 1664. The Maryland legislature claimed such marriages were a “disgrace” to the nation. See for example, Kevin Mumford, “After Hugh: Statutory Race Segregation in Colonial America, 1630-1725,” The American Journal of Legal History, Vol. 43, No. 3 (Jul., 1999), pp. 280-305.]
In addition, the law stipulated that mixed-race children of these marriages would be slaves for life. The white mothers could be sold as servants for seven years.
Somehow Molly and her children avoided these repercussions, although the book doesn’t provide details.
The two had four daughters, but while they were still young, Bannaky died. Molly taught her daughters how to work the land.
In time, the author writes, Molly had a grandson:
“In her Bible, Molly wrote her new grandson’s name: Benjamin Banneker. She taught this young boy to read and write. She told him about his grandfather, a prince who was the son of a king in Africa, and about her days as a dairymaid across the ocean in England.”
The story ends there, but the author appends a “Historical Note” that fills in more background not only on Mary but on Benjamin as well. In the story itself, there is no indication why Benjamin is more notable than anyone else.
The award-winning illustrator, Chris K. Soentpiet, employs bold, colorful watercolors to create some of the dramatic scenes imagined from Molly’s life. They look a bit like tableaus, however, rather than dynamic artwork.
Discussion: The story is actually a bit sketchy, and is more like a movie trailer in that way, with tantalizing highlights that should pique the interest of readers for further exploration. Issues kids might want to know more about include the punishments for stealing - even a pail of milk! - in 17th Century England; the laws involving indentured servants and interracial marriage in the early colonies; and what life was like for a young woman alone back then. And of course the big issue left unexplored in the main story: who was Benjamin Banneker?
Evaluation: This book is interesting, but mostly in the subjects it leaves unanswered. If a parent is willing to help fill in the blanks, it would constitute a valuable lesson on colonial times in America.
Rating: 3.5/5
[Benjamin Banneker was the first black man to publish an almanac, which he did from the years 1792 to 1802. He also wrote to Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson objecting to the injustice of slavery, and enclosed one of his almanacs. At first Jefferson regarded Banneker’s intelligence as an exception among African-Americans, rather than evidence that Jefferson’s perceptions about race might be fundamentally flawed. But three years after Banneker’s death, Jefferson wrote a letter disparaging Banneker and arguing that he could not have made the calculations contained in the almanac without assistance. Bannaker, according to Jefferson, “had a mind of very common stature indeed.”]
Alice McGill takes us back to Molly Walsh’s girlhood in 1673 in England. She was a 17-year-old dairymaid who dropped a pail of milk for the second time, and so was taken to court for “stealing” her lordship’s milk.
The usual punishment for stealing was death on the gallows, except if you could show you could read the Bible, which Molly could. Thus her life was spared but the judge sentenced her to seven years of bondage, to be served in the American colonies.
After seven years, Molly, now 24, was free, and she went out into the “wilderness” and bought a farm ten miles from Baltimore. Her new neighbors helped her build a cabin, but she couldn’t manage a tobacco farm on her own.
In 1692 she bought two slaves from a newly arrived ship. [The author only tells you about one of them, an African slave named Bannaky (also called Banneka) whom she eventually married.]
Bannaky, the son of an African chieftain, had by all accounts impressive stores of intelligence and dignity. He and Molly worked together and grew to love one another. Within three years Molly freed him. The author writes:
“Though Molly had broken colonial law by marrying a black man, her neighbors came to accept this marriage and to respect Bannaky.”
This was important because, as one learns elsewhere, at least 256 white women were prosecuted in Maryland for marrying black men during the colonial period. [The state of Maryland passed its first law against interracial marriage in 1664. The Maryland legislature claimed such marriages were a “disgrace” to the nation. See for example, Kevin Mumford, “After Hugh: Statutory Race Segregation in Colonial America, 1630-1725,” The American Journal of Legal History, Vol. 43, No. 3 (Jul., 1999), pp. 280-305.]
In addition, the law stipulated that mixed-race children of these marriages would be slaves for life. The white mothers could be sold as servants for seven years.
Somehow Molly and her children avoided these repercussions, although the book doesn’t provide details.
The two had four daughters, but while they were still young, Bannaky died. Molly taught her daughters how to work the land.
In time, the author writes, Molly had a grandson:
“In her Bible, Molly wrote her new grandson’s name: Benjamin Banneker. She taught this young boy to read and write. She told him about his grandfather, a prince who was the son of a king in Africa, and about her days as a dairymaid across the ocean in England.”
The story ends there, but the author appends a “Historical Note” that fills in more background not only on Mary but on Benjamin as well. In the story itself, there is no indication why Benjamin is more notable than anyone else.
The award-winning illustrator, Chris K. Soentpiet, employs bold, colorful watercolors to create some of the dramatic scenes imagined from Molly’s life. They look a bit like tableaus, however, rather than dynamic artwork.
Discussion: The story is actually a bit sketchy, and is more like a movie trailer in that way, with tantalizing highlights that should pique the interest of readers for further exploration. Issues kids might want to know more about include the punishments for stealing - even a pail of milk! - in 17th Century England; the laws involving indentured servants and interracial marriage in the early colonies; and what life was like for a young woman alone back then. And of course the big issue left unexplored in the main story: who was Benjamin Banneker?
Evaluation: This book is interesting, but mostly in the subjects it leaves unanswered. If a parent is willing to help fill in the blanks, it would constitute a valuable lesson on colonial times in America.
Rating: 3.5/5
September 10, 2016
Genre: Non-Fiction
Format: Children's Picture Book
Award: Jane Adams CHildren's Book Award
Summary: A dairy maid, turned Servant, named Molly Walsh, is finely freed after her sentencing had been fulfilled. As she is starting her new free life, she is in need of help on her acres of land. She purchases a slave with whom she falls in love with. Many years and children later, Mr. Bannaky passed away. Leaving behind his wife and children, he was born a grandson. His grandson would learn to read and write and pursue a life of hard work. He would be taught all these things by his grandmother, Molly Bannaky, and grow to be very successful.
Critique: I absolutely loved the story line. I wish they would have been a little more in depth with the historical significance of the characters in the book. The grandson of Molly Banneker grew to do some incredible things. I think the author should have mentioned that. This would help the reader grow in historical knowledge.
Prompts and Questions: The teacher could introduce vocabulary words at the beginning of the story. These words could be: Obstinate, Lordship, and Irrigation. They could then discuss the time period and what was going on in England and what the law was on slaves. This would help give some historical background to the story. Allowing for a deeper understanding of the text. Throughout the reading, the teacher should reiterate the vocabulary words and point out things in the text that was related to the historical background they spoke of previously.
Craft Elements for reading and writing a lesson: After the story is read, students should research the grandson in the story. Benjamin Banneker. They will learn that he wrote letters to Thomas Jefferson asking for consideration on the topic of racial equality. Students would then write a letter to 'the president' They would come from the perspective of Benjamin Banneker, asking for compassion toward that of racial equality. What would their letters say? How would you address this heavy issue? What personal connections could they pull from to be even more persuasive on the issue?
Format: Children's Picture Book
Award: Jane Adams CHildren's Book Award
Summary: A dairy maid, turned Servant, named Molly Walsh, is finely freed after her sentencing had been fulfilled. As she is starting her new free life, she is in need of help on her acres of land. She purchases a slave with whom she falls in love with. Many years and children later, Mr. Bannaky passed away. Leaving behind his wife and children, he was born a grandson. His grandson would learn to read and write and pursue a life of hard work. He would be taught all these things by his grandmother, Molly Bannaky, and grow to be very successful.
Critique: I absolutely loved the story line. I wish they would have been a little more in depth with the historical significance of the characters in the book. The grandson of Molly Banneker grew to do some incredible things. I think the author should have mentioned that. This would help the reader grow in historical knowledge.
Prompts and Questions: The teacher could introduce vocabulary words at the beginning of the story. These words could be: Obstinate, Lordship, and Irrigation. They could then discuss the time period and what was going on in England and what the law was on slaves. This would help give some historical background to the story. Allowing for a deeper understanding of the text. Throughout the reading, the teacher should reiterate the vocabulary words and point out things in the text that was related to the historical background they spoke of previously.
Craft Elements for reading and writing a lesson: After the story is read, students should research the grandson in the story. Benjamin Banneker. They will learn that he wrote letters to Thomas Jefferson asking for consideration on the topic of racial equality. Students would then write a letter to 'the president' They would come from the perspective of Benjamin Banneker, asking for compassion toward that of racial equality. What would their letters say? How would you address this heavy issue? What personal connections could they pull from to be even more persuasive on the issue?
March 6, 2016
The topic was interesting (especially since I had just been reading about Benjamin Bannaker!) and the pictures are exquisite, but I found the writing itself lacking. For example, the cow spilled the milk, and the book says, "Before the sun set that day, Molly stood before the court." MAYBE that's true, but it seems a bit far fetched. I noticed the same thing when Molly gains her freedom and looks across acres and acres of available land only to find her property before sunset that very same day. I found myself having to add in explanations as I read to my students. The story also ended very suddenly and anti-climatically, also confusedly as Molly tells her grandson that his grandfather had been a prince in Africa (the first time that is mentioned in the story). The biographical information on the last page was very informative.
I think this is a great book to read in an elementary classroom for those studying the American colonies or African-American history.
I think this is a great book to read in an elementary classroom for those studying the American colonies or African-American history.
September 24, 2017
Despite the fact that it's oversize, which doesn't suit library shelves or intended audience, despite the fact that the author's note doesn't give sources, further reading, any details like that, despite the fact that the progression of the story is oversimplified and the writing methodical, I do recommend this. It gives a portrait of a time in history that is not well-known, and aspects of some of the laws, customs, and characters of the ppl that are often not explained.
For example, how many children know that slaves were not just cotton-pickers in the deep south? How many know anything about indentured servants? How many know that some owners did free their slaves? Etc.
For example, how many children know that slaves were not just cotton-pickers in the deep south? How many know anything about indentured servants? How many know that some owners did free their slaves? Etc.
December 6, 2020
I went into this story blind and I found it to be a very nice read.
September 1, 2010
this is a picture book, but has really big ideas about indentured servants, early colonization of north america, and mixed marriages. I LOVE THIS BOOK. PARTICULARLY because it's true!
January 29, 2016
This meets my criteria for a good children's book: good art, good story, and I learned something.
September 29, 2017
Interesting woman and family, and lovely pictures. Make sure to read the note about her grandson in the back.
February 5, 2010
Title: Molly Bannaky
Author: Alice McGill
Illustrator: Chris K. Soentpiet
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
Year originally published:1999
Translator (if applicable):
Approximate Interest Level/Reading Level: Ages 5-8
Format (picture book, audio book, book read online, chapter book/novel, graphic novel): Picture book
Rating system: ****
Brief summary: Relates how Benjamin Bannaky’s grandmother journeyed from England to Maryland in the late seventeenth century, worked as an indentured servant, began a farm of her own and married a freed slave. The pictures in this book are so realistic. The large size of the book makes the pictures almost come to life. The story line is interesting for older children even though the reading level is for children ages 5-8 the story’s text relating to coming to the new world, being an indentured slave and interracial marriage producing children will be interesting to older children.
Author: Alice McGill
Illustrator: Chris K. Soentpiet
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
Year originally published:1999
Translator (if applicable):
Approximate Interest Level/Reading Level: Ages 5-8
Format (picture book, audio book, book read online, chapter book/novel, graphic novel): Picture book
Rating system: ****
Brief summary: Relates how Benjamin Bannaky’s grandmother journeyed from England to Maryland in the late seventeenth century, worked as an indentured servant, began a farm of her own and married a freed slave. The pictures in this book are so realistic. The large size of the book makes the pictures almost come to life. The story line is interesting for older children even though the reading level is for children ages 5-8 the story’s text relating to coming to the new world, being an indentured slave and interracial marriage producing children will be interesting to older children.
July 19, 2011
Molly Bannaky is a picture book about Molly Walsh, a dairy maid living in England. She was considered to be stealing because the cow kicked over the pail of milk twice. She was not executed because of her ability to read the Bible and therefore sentenced seven years to be served in the New World. After seven years of tending a farm she was set free and purchased a slave named Bannaky to help clear her land. After the slave cleared the land he would be set free.
Molly and Bannaky fell in love, were married, and had four daughters. The eldest daughter had a son, Benjamin Bannaker. Molly was his grandmother and taught him how to read. She told him that his grandfather was a King of Africa. It is an excellent picture book that describes a life as an indentured servant and the life of a slave. It shows the hardships of slavery and displays determination of Molly. It exemplifies the need for literacy as well as having visual literacy.
Molly and Bannaky fell in love, were married, and had four daughters. The eldest daughter had a son, Benjamin Bannaker. Molly was his grandmother and taught him how to read. She told him that his grandfather was a King of Africa. It is an excellent picture book that describes a life as an indentured servant and the life of a slave. It shows the hardships of slavery and displays determination of Molly. It exemplifies the need for literacy as well as having visual literacy.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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December 13, 2007Written by Alice McGill, illustrated by Chris K. Soentpiet, published by Houghton Mifflin, copyright year 1999.
Summary: A 17 year old dairy maid is put on trial for spilling a pail of milk but eventually her life is spared because she can read the Bible. She is sent to America to be a servant in Maryland. When she is freed she tries to start her own farm and hires a slave who she falls in love with and marries. The dairymaid is the grandmother of Benjamin Banneker. She teaches her grandson to read, the skill that had saved her life.
Response: A beautifully illustrated account of an important historical figure. I like the historical details at the end, which give more context to the story.
Possible Units: Early American History: Slaves. Introduction to Historical fiction/biographies.
Summary: A 17 year old dairy maid is put on trial for spilling a pail of milk but eventually her life is spared because she can read the Bible. She is sent to America to be a servant in Maryland. When she is freed she tries to start her own farm and hires a slave who she falls in love with and marries. The dairymaid is the grandmother of Benjamin Banneker. She teaches her grandson to read, the skill that had saved her life.
Response: A beautifully illustrated account of an important historical figure. I like the historical details at the end, which give more context to the story.
Possible Units: Early American History: Slaves. Introduction to Historical fiction/biographies.
September 17, 2013
"Molly Bannaky" by Alice McGill has a tremendous amount of lessons involved. I thought this book was great because it shows what life was like in the late 17th century. Not only does it show the hardship, but it also shows a strong woman who was able to overcome slavery and become successful. Molly, who was an indentured servant from England married Bannaky, who was her slave from Africa. She treated him kind and fairly. This book has many great historical and kind elements involved. I really enjoyed this book.
October 27, 2016
In 1683, Molly Bannaky sailed across the ocean to America to work as an indentured servant for 7 years as punishment for "stealing the lord's milk". In reality, the milk was accidentally spilled on the manor in which she was working.
After her 7 years of service, she was set free and claimed land on which to farm. Realizing it was too difficult to manage the land alone, she bought a servant off a slave ship. Eventually the two fell in love and prospered together on their land.
Molly Bannaky is their story.
Includes a historical note.
After her 7 years of service, she was set free and claimed land on which to farm. Realizing it was too difficult to manage the land alone, she bought a servant off a slave ship. Eventually the two fell in love and prospered together on their land.
Molly Bannaky is their story.
Includes a historical note.
August 17, 2015
A very well told and illustrated historical tale that I think is based on a true story--an Englishwoman condemned to labor then freed in America sets up her own homestead and marries a slave. Very mature themes, probably too much if your kid isn't up for a discussion of slavery in America, indentured servitude, lords and peasants, that kind of thing. But I found it very interesting and my 6 year old did as well.
February 8, 2011
I thought this was an awesome book. I think that Molly Bennaky wise to marry her husband(I forgot his name) because if not, they wouldn't have an amazing son or daughter that had Benjamin Bannecker, her grandson who's very talented! I recommend this book for anyone who likes autobiography because it talks about Molly's life but someone else wrote and not Molly.
October 31, 2016
I enjoyed this book as well. She had to work to pay for her mistakes. Once she was set free, she bought a slave to work for her. They fell in love which was not right in that time. They had four daughters, and then their father passed away. This book went very fast for how much happened and I feel like there could have been more detail. I still thought it was a great book.
October 5, 2007
The not-widely-known story of Benjamin Banneker's grandparents: a white, indentured servant woman sent from England for her "crime" and the African slave who helped her survive and with whom she fell in love. Gr. 3-7.
January 9, 2012
What an inspiring story! Why isn't Molly held up as a role model along with Harriet Tubman, Helen Keller, and Anne Frank? Surely she persevered and rose above the difficulties life threw at her. This short book packs one hell of a punch!
March 22, 2014
I was captivated by the story of Molly Bannaky. I had never heard about her before and it was amazing to hear about where she came from and her legacy. She is a strong role-model for girls. This could be used to teach about Colonial times, historical fiction, and biographies.
July 28, 2015
I've used this title many times with middle schoolers and children but it also would appeal to adults. The story is unique but still very relevant. Each reader will find something different but important to focus on.
June 7, 2009
Awesome! A great way to introduce a piece of history to your child. Surprised even me. My prince loved it.
Want to read
July 1, 2010Illustrator Chris K. Soentpiet.
October 18, 2010
Great way to introduce some American history to the kids. It's a short book, but the themes can lead to long discussions!
July 19, 2012
A gob smacking reminder of the kind of fluidity, equality, and opportunity that was once possible in early American history before certain cultural norms became set in stone.
March 8, 2013
A very inspiring true story of a slave girl who one day had a grandson who became the famous Benjamin Banneker.
January 25, 2016
My Mom read this to me when I was younger. The images of the story stayed with me for years. I just found it again and found out that I had recently listened to a podcast talking about her grandson.
December 27, 2016
Beautiful illustrations and fascinating true story.
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