( Resource Links)Īrchival photos from Margaret's collection give readers a sense of immediacy for the story being told and the strong, boldly colored artwork of Liz Amini-Holmes provides the clear and often heartbreaking truths about this brave woman's journey to literacy (Sally Bender )įatty Legs tells the true story of an eight-year-old Inuit girl named Olemaun Pokiak and her experience with residential school. I highly recommend this book for the discussion it would stir with students.Makes the harrowing residential school stories accessible to youth. 'synopsis' may belong to another edition of this title. Complemented by archival photos from Margaret Pokiak-Fenton’s collection and striking artworks from Liz Amini-Holmes, this inspiring first-person account of a plucky girl’s determination to confront her tormentor will linger with young readers. Although a sympathetic nun stands up for Margaret, in the end it is this brave young girl who gives the Raven a lesson in the power of human dignity. In the face of such cruelty, Margaret refuses to be intimidated and bravely gets rid of the stockings. In an instant Margaret is the laughingstock of the entire school.

Intending to humiliate her, the heartless Raven gives gray stockings to all the girls all except Margaret, who gets red ones. She immediately dislikes the strong-willed young Margaret. At school Margaret soon encounters the Raven, a black-cloaked nun with a hooked nose and bony fingers that resemble claws. Faced with unceasing pressure, her father finally agrees to let her make the five-day journey to attend school, but he warns Margaret of the terrors of residential schools. Eight-year-old Margaret Pokiak has set her sights on learning to read, even though it means leaving her village in the high Arctic.

Fatty legs the book