Christy Jordan-Fenton and Margaret Pokiak-Fenton, illustrated by Liz Amini-Holmes,
Fatty Legs
Annick Press, 2010.

Rating: E*

Fatty Legs is an enlightening residential school story told from the perspective of a 7 year old girl. Margaret, the protagonist has a great desire to read. Her determination persuades her father to allow her to attend a residential school despite his misgivings. Although she does eventually learn to read, she encounters many social conflicts with her peers and the school teachers along the way. 

I highly recommend this book for the discussion it would stir with students. This book makes the harrowing residential school stories accessible to youth

Thematic Links: First Nations Studies; The Environment (the Arctic); Metaphor; Bullying; Residential Schools

Colleen Austin
Vol. 16, number 2
December 2010

*Rating System:
E - Excellent, enduring, everyone should see it!
G - Good, even great at times, generally useful!
A - Average, all right, has its applications.
P - Problematic, puzzling, poorly presented.