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Summary
Summary
Bestselling memoir Fatty Legs for younger readers.
Olemaun is eight and knows a lot of things. But she does not know how to read. Ignoring her father's warnings, she travels far from her Arctic home to the outsiders' school to learn.
The nuns at the school call her Margaret. They cut off her long hair and force her to do menial chores, but she remains undaunted. Her tenacity draws the attention of a black-cloaked nun who tries to break her spirit at every turn. But the young girl is more determined than ever to learn how to read.
Based on the true story of Margaret Pokiak-Fenton, and complemented by stunning illustrations, When I Was Eight makes the bestselling Fatty Legs accessible to younger readers. Now they, too, can meet this remarkable girl who reminds us what power we hold when we can read.
Author Notes
Margaret-Olemaun Pokiak-Fenton was an Inuvialuk elder, knowledge keeper, author, and an artisan. She was born in Ballie Island, Canada, on June 7, 1936. Her family traveled the high Arctic. Her older sister would read to her. She wanted to read and asked her parents to send her to a residential school. Her first book, Fatty Legs: A True Story, recounts her experiences at the school and how she handled being mistreated. Her other books include A Stranger at Home (2011), When I was Eight (2013), and Not My Girl (2014). Writing was a way for her to process her past and reconnect with her heritage. Margaret-Olemaun Pokiak-Fenton, First Nations author, died in her apartment in Fort St. John, B. C., on April 21, 2021 after suffering from lung disease and diabetes. She was 84.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (3)
School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 4-This condensed, illustrated version of Fatty Legs (Annick, 2010) brings the power of literacy to even younger children. An eight-year-old Inuit child from Banks Island in far northern Canada desperately wanted to learn to read English like her older sister, but her father refused to let her attend the Indian Residential School. However, her persistent pleading wore away his resistance, and he consented. They made the five-day trek to the Catholic-run school where Olemaun was stripped of her Native identity-her hair, her clothes, even her name. She was allowed to keep only her beloved copy of Alice in Wonderland. Renamed Margaret, she clung to her desire to learn to read, enduring humiliation and harsh treatment from cruel nuns and unkind classmates. She instinctively knew that literacy was powerful, and she used it to give her courage and "to carry [her] far away from the laughter." In a showdown with a nun, Margaret defied the insensitive teacher, who in turn tried to humiliate Margaret by demanding that she read a difficult passage aloud in class. However, she read without hesitation and triumphed. "There was no stopping me" is an accurate description of what happens when someone-child or adult-learns to read. Sprinkled throughout are details of Inuit life. The beautiful, expressive watercolor illustrations depict Margaret's journey from her village to the misery of residential school to her success. This book is a small but powerful reminder of the freedom that literacy brings.-Lisa Crandall, formerly at the Capital Area District Library, Holt, MI (c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
The authors of Fatty Legs (2010) distill that moving memoir of an Inuit child's residential school experience into an even more powerful picture book. "Brave, clever, and as unyielding" as the sharpening stone for which she's named, Olemaun convinces her father to send her from their far-north village to the "outsiders' school." There, the 8-year-old receives particularly vicious treatment from one of the nuns, who cuts her hair, assigns her endless chores, locks her in a dark basement and gives her ugly red socks that make her the object of other children's taunts. In her first-person narration, she compares the nun to the Queen in Alice in Wonderland, a story she has heard from her sister and longs to read for herself, subtly reminding readers of the power of literature to help face real life. Grimard portrays this black-cloaked nun with a scowl and a hooked nose, the image of a witch. Her paintings stretch across the gutter and sometimes fill the spreads. Varying perspectives and angles, she brings readers into this unfamiliar world. Opening with a spread showing the child's home in a vast, frozen landscape, she proceeds to hone in on the painful school details. A final spread shows the triumphant child and her book: "[N]ow I could read." Utterly compelling. (Picture book/memoir. 5-9)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
In this picture-book memoir, an adaption of Fatty Legs (2010), Olemaun (later known as Margaret) an Inuit, recollects how she begged her father to attend the church-run Indian residential school so she could fulfill her cherished dream to learn to read. Once there, what she discovers is the school is draconian. Using a simple, direct tone, Olemaun describes how a nun cuts her braid, changes her name, and assigns an endless list of chores. Classmates tease. Even as she labors, Olemaun finds strength in memories of her father's love and uses every opportunity to study the alphabet and sound out words. Effective shadow-ridden illustrations capture the pervasive atmosphere of abuse, but the final picture speaks volumes about Olemaun's determination and triumph: her face appears as large and shining as the sun emerging from darkness, because she has taught herself to read. A historical note providing context would have been helpful, but advanced readers can turn to the authors' longer work. A searing account of assimilation policies and a celebration of the human spirit.--McDermott, Jeanne Copyright 2010 Booklist
