Fatty Legs: A True Story

Description

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.