Fatty Legs

Fatty Legs is a memoir aimed at middle-grade children, written by Christy Jordan-Fenton and Margaret Pokiak-Fenton and illustrated by Liz Amini-Holmes, published September 1, 2010 by Annick Press. The story introduces children to the devastating reality of the residential school system, a system focused on the assimilation of Indigenous peoples.[1] The book was published two years before the work of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission began to investigate the residential school system and was among the first children's books from a survivor of Canada's Indian Residential School System.[2]

Fatty Legs
First edition
AuthorChristy Jordan-Fenton and Margaret Pokiak-Fenton
LanguageEnglish
SubjectCanadian Indian residential school system
GenreMemoir
PublisherAnnick Press
Publication date
September 1, 2010
Media typePrint, Audio
Pages104
ISBN9781554512461
Followed byA Stranger at Home 

A tenth anniversary edition was released in 2020 and included a new foreword by Dr. Debbie Reese and a new preface by Christy Jordan-Fenton.[3]

Fatty Legs was later followed by A Stranger at Home, as well as editions for younger readers entitled When I Was Eight and Not My Girl.[4] The four books "have sold more than a quarter of a million copies and collected over 20 awards and distinctions."[4]

Plot

When Pokiak-Fenton was eight years old, a residential school opened nearby, and with the dream of learning to read, she begged her parents to go. However, upon arrival, she learned that the school was not as she imagined. Fatty Legs documents the vicious treatment she received at the school, particularly from one nun, having her hair cut, being locked in a dark basement, and the humiliation of being given red socks as a punishment. The story also speaks to the power of literature and of resiliency and fortitude.[5]

Reception

Fatty Legs received positive critical reception and was included on many recommended books lists as a way to introduce children to the history and trauma of the residential school system in an age-appropriate way.

Kirkus provided a starred review, calling the memoir "[a] moving and believable account" of Canadian residential schools.[6] School Library Journal's Jody Kopple called it "[a]n excellent addition to any biography collection," noting, "the book is fascinating and unique, and yet universal in its message."[7]

Fatty Legs formed part of a controversy in November 2020 when it came out that an assignment at W. A. Fraser Middle School in Abbotsford, British Columbia was using the book to show the positive side of residential school.[8] Jordan-Fenton stated using the book out of context was “irresponsible at best, and intentionally or unintentionally, it is revisionism and the perpetuation of a falsehood.”[8]

In 2010, Fatty Legs was named one of the best children's books of the year by The Globe and Mail. Ten years later, the Canadian Children's Book Centre included it on their list of the Best Books for Kids & Teens.[9]

Awards and honours for Fatty Legs
Year Award Result Ref.
2011 First Nation Communities Read Award Winner [10][11]
Next Generation Indie Book Awards for Children's/Juvenile Nonfiction Finalist [12]
Sheila A. Egoff Children’s Literature Prize Shortlist [13]
USBBY Outstanding International Books Selection [14]
2012 Hackmatack Children's Choice Book Award for Non-fiction Shortlist [15]
Ontario Library Association's Golden Oak Award Shortlist [16]
Skipping Stones Book Award Honor [17]

References
  1. "Remembering Margaret-Olemaun Pokiak-Fenton, children's book author and residential school survivor". Quill and Quire. 2021-06-03. Retrieved 2021-06-26.
  2. Qiao, Vicky (3 June 2021). "Margaret Pokiak-Fenton, co-author of bestselling children's book Fatty Legs, dead at 84". CBC News. Retrieved 25 June 2021.
  3. "Fatty Legs (10th Anniversary Edition)". Vancouver Writers Fest. Retrieved 2021-06-26.
  4. "Rediscover: Margaret-Olemaun Pokiak-Fenton". Shelf Awareness. 2021-06-11. Retrieved 2022-03-19.
  5. WHEN I WAS EIGHT | Kirkus Reviews.
  6. "Fatty Legs". Kirkus Reviews. 2010-12-22. Retrieved 2022-03-19.
  7. Kopple, Jody (2010-12-01). "Fatty Legs". School Library Journal. Retrieved 2022-03-19.
  8. Hopes, Vikki (2020-11-30). "Fatty Legs co-author responds to Abbotsford class assignment on residential schools". Abbotsford News. Retrieved 2021-06-26.
  9. Fatty Legs. Retrieved 2022-03-19. {{cite book}}: |website= ignored (help)
  10. "First Nation Communities Read Archives". Canadian Children's Book Centre. Archived from the original on 2021-08-02. Retrieved 2022-03-18.
  11. "First Nation Communities Read - Young Adult Category". North Perth Public Library. Archived from the original on 2022-03-18. Retrieved 2022-03-18.
  12. "2011 Winners". Next Generation Indie Book Awards. Retrieved 2022-03-19.
  13. "Sheila A. Egoff Children's Literature Prize". Canadian Books & Authors. Retrieved 2022-03-19.
  14. "Outstanding International Books List". USBBY. Retrieved 2022-03-19.
  15. "Hackmatack Children's Choice Book Award: Non-fiction". Canadian Books & Authors. Retrieved 2022-03-19.
  16. "OLA: Golden Oak Award". Canadian Books & Authors. Retrieved 2022-03-19.
  17. "Skipping Stones Honor Awards, 1994-2021". TeachingBooks. Retrieved 2022-03-19.
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