The Maggie B.

by Irene Haas

One night before she goes to sleep, Margaret wishes on the North Star for a ship named after herself. The next morning, she wakes up on the Maggie B., sailing across the ocean with her baby brother, James, for company.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Fiction, Adventure, Fantasy, Summer, Family

32 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1975

Reviews

[Mir · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't remember exactly what part of this appealed to me as a child. The ship? Most likely just the idea of having a private place that was exactly how I wanted it. Isn't that a fantasy for many children?

North Star, star of the sea,
I wish for a ship
Named after me,
To sail for a day
Alone and free,
With someone nice
For company.

Margaret's company is her baby brother, James, and her her ship is pretty sweet. It even has a tiny farm! But when you look at the story through adult eyes, it is a strangely domestic fantasy. Margaret cleans and cooks pretty much the entire time. The ship seems to sail itself and there are no maritime adventures. Even when a storm blows up, all Margaret does is tidy everything inside and bake. (Who dips muffins in fish broth? Yuck.) Maybe the fantasy is being allowed to use the oven on her own? But my parents did let me do that, so I doubt I even noticed that aspect at the time.

Have you ever had a little kid tell you a story, and it didn't really have anything happen in it? Maybe this book works like that for its reading demographic. There is certainly something cozy about it. And the pictures are charming, especially the color plates.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

At my favorite used bookstore in Vermont, I spy my daughter's most beloved childhood story. Her version has been read to two other children and is a spineless thing. So as luck would have it - and I am always lucky in this store (from finding amazing books to being hit on by gorgeous young Burlington students still operating under the delusion that they should have a Mrs. Robinson experience) - I open the book to find the previous owner's name written inside. Jessica. My daughter's name.

I love those kind of moments.

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

My six-year-old self would have loved this book and fantasized about a day at sea on the "Katie W" full of independence and adventure and good food and sweet songs and lots of fun. (Okay, my grown-up self wouldn't mind sailing away for a day of escape, either!) There is nothing really "amazing" about this story, and yet it held some magic, somehow. The illustrations are lovely and interesting (though did any one else notice that Maggie on the ship looks a bit older, and a teensy bit gnome/elf- like?) and I like the toucan appearing in so many illustrations! An all around fun and imaginative read.

[dana · Rating 5 out of 5]

I want to live on a magical ship with a wee farm on the poop deck, too.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

More for children. Do kids today still like to play house and imagine adventures? Love the details of including a sea shanty, a lullaby, the little farm on the poop deck, the recipes.... So many of the images, though, were so very difficult for me to make out, what with the girl's dress being too big for her and so many colors & patterns.

On a jelly roll pan, slice peaches, drizzle with honey, sprinkle with cinnamon, and bake about 1/2 hour in a medium oven. (Great way to use unsatisfactory under-ripe supermarket peaches.)

3.5 stars.

[Abigail · Rating 4 out of 5]

Margaret Barnstable goes to bed one night wishing for a sailing ship, and a day of adventure to be shared with nice company, and wakes up the next morning to find herself on board the Maggie B - a boat with a nice snug cabin, and a farm on the poop deck - together with her baby brother James. A day of calm pleasure follows, as Maggie cares for her brother, prepares their meal - a process involving everything from fishing to cooking - and weathers a storm inside their cozy cabin...

Like the friend who recommended it (thanks, Miriam!), I'm a little hard-pressed to say just why I find The Maggie B so appealing, although appealing it certainly is! The narrative isn't particularly exciting, and I have difficulty imagining that, with a magical ship at my disposal, I'd want to spend the day cooking and child-minding (color me un-domestic, but what about exploring?), but the gentle unfolding of Maggie's day still appealed to me, for all that. I suspect that Haas' delightful illustrations, which alternate between black-and-white and glorious color, have something to do with it...

[Deyna · Rating 5 out of 5]

A sweet story of a big sister taking care of her little brother. One of my favorite children's stories.

[Sally · Rating 5 out of 5]

An eternal favorite.

[Dianna · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the coziest book I've read in a long time. Margaret Barnstable sails off on a dream ship with her brother, James, "who was a dear baby." She keeps house on the ship, cooks meals, and retreats into the cabin for a very cozy time during the storm. The pictures are completely amazing although I couldn't help wishing they were all in color (although the black-and-white ones are charming, too).

[Kate HC · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a beautiful picture book! I remember loving it when I was little, and I brought it home to read with my son, who seems to like it too. It has songs, children at sea without their parents, a toucan, and a storm all portrayed through gorgeous illustrations.

[Gloria · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my all time fav childrens book. Amazing artwork. Comforting story. I grew up reading it and actually named by new beetle car the Maggie B.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

The illustrations are charming! But in this domestic fantasy, Maggie does more chores in her fantasy than I do on a Saturday... who would have thought that heading to the high seas would involve cooking, baking, cleaning, and caring for a baby? Perhaps this was the 1975 version of a girl’s adventure?

[Natalie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has been on several children's book lists I have read through and, since it has my daughter's name in the title, I checked it out. Despite the good reviews I had read I found it to be just...eh. I liked it fine but wasn't head over heels in love with it. I had expected and more adventurous story and found it a little dry. Nothing really grabbed me about it. The pictures are a different story though--they are beautiful!

[Exzetta · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been looking for this book for years. I read it over and over again as a child. I wanted to be here. When my husband told me about the wild things movie, I told him this book meant more to me. I went on line type "book about a girl in a sailboat with a baby boy. i found it on here. It is simple and that's what makes it wonderful.

[Eliza · Rating 5 out of 5]

my parents gave me this book when my little brother was born. I still read it! The pictures are sumptuous and the story is perfect for an older sibling. The moral of the story: little brothers *can* make good companions.

[N · Rating 5 out of 5]

I want to read this over and over and over. It's the perfect little picture book. There's singing and danger, eating and painting, sailing, dreaming, and napping.

Gotta love anyone who finishes lunch only to wonder, "What shall we have for supper tonight?"

[Kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was adorable. Also, there's a song in here that my aunt used to sing when we all were babies, and I have never seen it or heard it anywhere else, so that was particularly exciting. The copy I have is quite old and worn out; I hope this one is still in print. I really liked it.

[Valentin Eni · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ilustraţiile sînt de nota zece, dar "povestea" mi s-a părut criminal de plictisitoare şi chiar depresivă. De ce Maggie B. se ocupă cu menajul, îngrijirea fratelui mai mic şi cu bucătăritul în loc să se bucure (împreună cu cititorul) de aventuri fantastice?

[Jenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fuck yeah! What a great book. These must be in Ma's attic, right Tracy? Click on the picture until it's large and then take a good look. What a fabulous, fabulous book.

[Anastasia · Rating 5 out of 5]

So beautiful!

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a soft, soothing picture book about a girl named Maggie Barnstable who makes a bedtime wish.
"North Star, star of the sea,
I wish for a ship
Named after me.,
To sail for a day
Alone and free,
With someone nice
For company."
When she wakes up, she finds herself in a cabin on The Maggie B. with her baby brother, James. It's a comfortable space with a small farm on the poop deck and a well stocked kitchen. Maggie enjoys her day bustling about taking care of the boat and James while singing a sea chanty. Maggie entertains James with the Once I Caught a Fish Alive counting rhyme There's not much adventure on this trip which seems to suit Maggie just fine. Even when there is a storm, Maggie secures everything so securely that the ship only rocks "the nicest little bit." They have a delightful evening with Maggie playing her fiddle and rocking James in his cradle. Then their "day on The Maggie B. was over." A cozy picture book ideal for bedtime reading!

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful detailed illustrations, with warm, comfortable elements that make the sailing ship of Margaret Barnstable's dreams - the Maggie B - seem like home away from home for her and her little brother James. A lovely vision of wish fulfillment, as Margaret's wish upon the North Star is to sail for just a day, and she and James spend a delightful day on the Maggie B (which even has a tiny garden/farm on the poop deck, complete with fruit trees and animals). Maggie's and James's story also includes some delightful song-poems about the sea. A School Library Journal Top 100 picture book.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really adored this book, it has beautiful illustrations but plenty of words (not a short toddler book) including short songs and a “sea chantey” which I like to sing to my daughter while reading. This one is high on my list of favorites, ranking near The Adventures of Frog and Toad (our ABSOLUTE favorite).

Perfect Bedtime story.
Mom approved.

Bonus info:
the sentence “On the poop deck was a tiny farm.” Had my kid in hysterics. I’m sure my ridiculous expression helped but anyway, we laughed and laughed about it. Kids are too funny. Great book.

[John]

Like "In the Night Kitchen" and "Where the Wild Things Are", this is a dreamland book that seems a bit beyond Willa's grasp. But, unlike "In the Night Kitchen," Willa seems to really like this one. So, even though I think she is a little young for it, I think we will keep it in the rotation. Willa likes Margaret, the main character little girl and every page has really interesting and beautiful pictures to study.

[Blaise · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favourite book as a child. We didn't own a copy. It I borrowed it nearly every second week from the school library. I didn't remember what it was called just the rush imagery until a combined search with my mother, a librarian, we found it. I've bought my 2 year old daughter a copy and we read it often. It's also my go to gift for little girls!

[Jamie · Rating 2 out of 5]

A girl wishes on a star one night "North Star, star of the sea,/ I wish for a ship/ Named after me,/ To sail for a day/ Alone and free,/ With someone nice/ For company." She gets her wish and imagines a day on a houseboat. Every other two page spread appears to be watercolor and then the next two page spread has pencil drawings with shading. It's a cute, fun, whimsical story.

[Kelly Lemieux · Rating 5 out of 5]

A perfect children's book, about having one's own 'crib.' I loved this book as a kid, and I just spent 15 minutes re-reading it. Margaret and James (the main characters in the book,) you two are quite a comfy pair. Funny story: I bought a lot of Scholastic imprints books as a kid student, and I later worked at this publisher for a season, back in 2000.

[Celina Chase · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my all-time favorite children's book (aside from my own, of course!), gifted to my family by an old friend and read countless times over the years. I love how the main character tidies up her ship with a "joyful hustle bustle," while the story celebrates industriousness, gardening, art, caregiving, and simplicity.

[Pearly Sprinkles · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my all time favourite books.
My sisters and I would recreate The Maggie B in our playroom over and over again, and that is why this book holds such fondness in my heart.
Beautifully written with gorgeous illustrations, this book is perfect for any little girl (or boy) with big hopes and dreams

[Kiara Brinkman · Rating 5 out of 5]

All of my children have LOVED this sweet and cozy book. I think Maggie's dream of sailing her own ship for the day touches on a universally strong desire in children to create and care for their very own space. The relationship between Maggie and her little brother, whom she attends to with such love and care, is simply magic. The illustrations are luminous!