Fatty Legs (Chisty Jordan-Fenton and Margaret Pokiak-Fenton)

Education is in a bit of a change and we are moving towards a greater expectation to teach issues and history around First Nations so I'm always looking for books that bit the bill. I have had this one on my shelf for a while. I read the first couple of chapters when considering it for grade three book club and decided not to have it as a book suggestion because I was worried it would get into uncomfortable issues around residential schools. However, now that I have finished it, I realize I'd be quite comfortable reading it with my class. I think if we don't do it for book club I might see if I could find a way to do it as a novel study. It seems to have enough of the issues but not get into sexual abuse. I really like her focus on wanting to learn to read. There are lots of good topics for discussion in this book.

Goodreads says:

The moving memoir of an Inuit girl who emerges from a residential school with her spirit intact.

Eight-year-old Margaret Pokiak has set her sights on learning to read, even though it means leaving her village in the high Arctic. 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.

At school Margaret soon encounters the Raven, a black-cloaked nun with a hooked nose and bony fingers that resemble claws. She immediately dislikes the strong-willed young Margaret. Intending to humiliate her, the heartless Raven gives gray stockings to all the girls -- all except Margaret, who gets red ones. In an instant Margaret is the laughingstock of the entire school.

In the face of such cruelty, Margaret refuses to be intimidated and bravely gets rid of the stockings. 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.

Complemented by archival photos from Margaret Pokiak-Fenton's collection and striking artwork from Liz Amini-Holmes, this inspiring first-person account of a plucky girl's determination to confront her tormentor will linger with young readers.