Like Shi-shi-etko and Shin-chi's Canoe-and the memoirs of Larry Loyie-this book helps younger readers understand of the lasting impact of residential schools.īrenda Halliday is the Head of Library & Information Services at St. A map and explanatory footnotes, as well as a final chapter on residential schools, expand and provide a context for the story. A scrapbook of photos featuring Arctic family and school life enriches the book and roots it in reality. The powerful illustrations-with their play of light and dark, and the mask-like face of the Raven-contribute to the folkloric, universal quality of the tale. Outsiders flit about the north, plucking children from their homes. The text is rich in verbs, physical detail and imagery, which would make the book an excellent read-aloud. The young girl's quest for education and her coming to terms with a cruel adversary and a kind advocate have all the elements of folktale. Readers will cheer for Olemaun / Margaret and delight in the solution she finds to thwart her tormentor. Her strength is tested at the school by a nun (whom she privately nicknames the Raven) who targets her right from the start, forcing her to wear red stockings that draw the other girls' taunts. Her father worries that her spirit will be worn down, but Olemaun knows herself to be proud and resilient. Intent on learning to read, the eight-year-old Inuvialuit (Western Inuit) girl persuades her father to let her attend a residential school in 1944 in Aklavik, Northwest Territories. Now, in this vivid memoir, aided by her daughter-in-law, she tells a story of courage and determination. Inuit | Residential Schools | Native Studies | Bullying | Self-Esteem | Memoirįor over 60 years, Olemaun (Margaret) Pokiak kept a secret. Fatty Legs: A True Story.' Retrieved from 2011 Canadian Children's Book Centre 06 May.

MLA style: 'Fatty Legs: A True Story.' The Free Library.

The raven fatty legs