Beanie the Bansheenie
by Eoin Colfer (Author) Steve McCarthy (Illustrator)
A best-selling author and an award-winning illustrator join forces in a long-form picture book that turns a familiar myth of Irish folklore into a universal story of love, perseverance, and friendship against all odds.
Banshees are well known to most of us as supernatural Irish harbingers of doom. But not many know that they grow on the prickly gorse bush inside little pods, and that the sole job of a baby banshee, or "bansheenie," is to bond with a human and know all there is to know about that person, including when they're destined to breathe their last breath. One bansheenie named Beanie, however, is no ordinary herald of death. When she sees her person, a little girl named Rose, she decides to change both their fates--and instead of delivering bad news, protect Rose and her family. And when her banshee's howl won't work, she must draw power and strength from the ancient secrets and hidden networks of the natural world to create a new sound, a new way of being in the world, that will change everything.
Melding Eoin Colfer's welcoming voice and Steve McCarthy's striking Celtic imagery, Beanie the Bansheenie is a gloriously immersive, detailed, and emotional storytelling experience.
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Publishers Weekly
"Everybody in Ireland knows that banshees are supernatural harbingers of doom," tasked with informing a human about when they will die, begins this moving title. But following a mishap at the moment of meeting, Beanie--a sharp-nosed, green-skinned young "bansheenie" with long black hair--is unable to bond properly with human Rose, portrayed with brown skin. This means that Beanie doesn't know, as her kind should, when Rose will die. Beanie tries to learn as much as she can about the child ("Rose's hair tied itself up in terrible tangles if it wasn't brushed") and soon grows to love her. The story's eerie themes are, in the hands of Colfer (the Artemis Fowl series), filled with fizzy glee: Beanie's howl was not ghastly, but "so cute and musical that blackbirds... gathered in the garden to listen." Far from awaiting Rose's death, Beanie realizes that she actively wants Rose to live, and works to save the day when disaster threatens, in this engrossing telling that plays with the idea of love bending immutable truths. Digital artwork by McCarthy (The Wilderness), which takes angular, swirling forms, conjures a sense of otherworldly enchantment. Characters are portrayed with various skin tones. Ages 5-9. (Nov.)
Copyright 2024 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.
Kirkus
A modern twist on classic folklore and the bonds of friendship.
Review quotes
"With their Celtic green palette, McCarthy's spirited digital illustrations are full of life, propelling the narrative forward with motion. They pair well with Colfer's joyful text, which echoes the storytelling tradition of fairy tales with clever descriptions and effective page turns. . . A modern twist on classic folklore and the bonds of friendship." —Kirkus Reviews
JUV037000 - Juvenile Fiction | Fantasy & Magic
JUV012020 - Juvenile Fiction | Fairy Tales & Folklore | Country & Ethnic - General
