Fatty Legs

by Margaret Pokiak-Fenton and Christy Jordon-Fenton

Age: 9+
Rating: 4/5

Summary:
This is a memoir for children about a girl's experiences at a residential school. Margaret was an 8 year old who wanted to learn to read. Her older sister knew how to read, but always told Margaret not to go to school.  And when the boats came to collect students from Margaret's isolated island, her mother and father tried to hide her away so that she wouldn't have to go to school. But Margaret was stubborn and she begged and convinced her parents it was a good idea to send her to school. But Margaret's classes are not what she expected, and the teachers are even further from it.


Thoughts:
It's a topic that is difficult to approach with kids (it's difficult to talk about with adults for that matter), but the authors did a great job of making the story of residential schools accessible to younger readers. The personal illustrations throughout really add to the interest factor I think, and reinforce that this is a true story. I'm looking forward to reading the sequel, about Margaret's return home and the challenges she faces then.