Download When I Was Eight Christy JordanFenton Margaret PokiakFenton Gabrielle Grimard 9781554514908 Books
Download As PDF : When I Was Eight Christy JordanFenton Margaret PokiakFenton Gabrielle Grimard 9781554514908 Books
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.
Download When I Was Eight Christy JordanFenton Margaret PokiakFenton Gabrielle Grimard 9781554514908 Books
"love it"
Product details
|
Tags : When I Was Eight [Christy Jordan-Fenton, Margaret Pokiak-Fenton, Gabrielle Grimard] on . <div>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,Christy Jordan-Fenton, Margaret Pokiak-Fenton, Gabrielle Grimard,When I Was Eight,Annick Press,1554514908,People Places - Canada - Native Canadian,Boarding school students,Boarding school students;Biography;Juvenile literature.,Inuit - Canada - Residential schools,Inuit women,Inuit women;Biography;Juvenile literature.,Inuit youth,Inuit youth;Biography;Juvenile literature.,Pokiak-Fenton, Margaret - Childhood and youth,Biography,Biography Autobiography - Cultural Heritage,Children's Books/Ages 4-8 Nonfiction,Children Grades 1-2,Easy Non-Fiction,History - Canada - Post-Confederation (1867-),JUVENILE,JUVENILE NONFICTION / Biography Autobiography / Cultural, Ethnic Regional,JUVENILE NONFICTION / People Places / Canada / Native Canadian,Juvenile Grades 1-2 Ages 6-7,Juvenile Nonfiction,Juvenile Nonfiction / History / Canada / Post-Confederation (1867-),Juvenile Nonfiction/History - Canada - Post-Confederation (1867-),Juvenile Nonfiction/People Places - Canada/Native Canadian,Juvenile Nonfiction/School Education,Juvenile literature,People Places - Canada/Native Canadian,Picture Book
When I Was Eight Christy JordanFenton Margaret PokiakFenton Gabrielle Grimard 9781554514908 Books Reviews :
When I Was Eight Christy JordanFenton Margaret PokiakFenton Gabrielle Grimard 9781554514908 Books Reviews
- In When I Was Eight readers get to see what it was like for a young Inuit girl to leave her family for a residential school. There are some very negative experiences there for her, but it is also a time for her to discover her own strength and determination.
I have been happy to see more and more children's literature and non-fiction about the residential school era in North America. This is a time in history that our country should know about and should remember. I think there has been healing in the sharing of these stories and the more people that hear them, the better off we all are.
This also fills a gap that we have. I am looking forward to more picture book memoirs like this. - This is a great book.
- love it
- A moving story that is great to use as a read-aloud.
- great pictures
probably wouldn't read it as a picture book to younger kids b/c it's a bit "scary" with the Raven (evil teacher) - When I Was Eight by Christy Jordan-Fenton and Margaret Pokiak-Fenton is an adaptation of Fatty Legs, in which Olemaun recollects her negative experiences in a church-run residential school. Because I have read both books, as I review When I Was Eight, I will also be comparing and contrasting the two versions.
I'll start with what I liked about When I Was Eight. The well-crafted writing style stands out more in When I Was Eight. There are many active verbs, such as "shrugged" and "begged". In addition, there's a lot of figurative language, such as "the sun slept" and "slumbering ice". The strong word choices exist in Fatty Legs too, but they feel more prevalent and significant in a picture book. When I Was Eight would make for an excellent mentor text in elementary schools.
When I Was Eight is also more focused than Fatty Legs. The latter is about Olemaun (Margaret's Inuit name) and her family, her friends, her desire to read, her conflicts with a mean nun and brother, and more. In contrast, When I Was Eight is solely about Oleman's determination to read enabling her to withstand all forms of abuse from a nameless nun. In fact, the story is so tightly told that it develops a fairy tale quality, where the young heroine must battle an evil grown-up. Because of its overt theme, teachers could use When I Was Eight to help reluctant readers see how the power of books can change them.
Next, I'll turn to what I didn't like about When I Was Eight. Due to the brevity of text required of a picture book, some important details were left out. For example, When I Was Eight tells readers that Olemaun enters the laundry room, stands beside a huge vat, and then "gets an idea" about how to get rid of the red stockings. In contrast, Fatty Legs tells readers tells how a tear vanishing into bubbling water gives her that idea.
In my review of Fatty Legs, I highlighted its realistic characters because sometimes books that depict atrocities resort to portraying all of the "enemy" as evil but Fatty Legs avoided that trap. Well.... as I review When I Was Eight has eliminated the friend who provided support to Olemaun, and the kind nun, and really anyone who seemed nice. Instead Olemaun is on her own in her determination to read.
Some critics have lamented the absence of a historical note in as I review When I Was Eight . I have mixed feelings about this. On one hand, in Fatty Legs I greatly appreciated the scrapbook and other supplementary material that provided context for the story. I ended up wanting to read more Inuit stories. On the other hand, the historical notes meant while reading Fatty Legs I remained keenly aware that I was learning about a real time and a real place. Whereas, as I noted above, When I Was Eight was more like a fairy tale.
Both approaches serve a purpose, as does having two versions that are intended for different readers. Each book provides a glimpse into the way of life of the Inuit, while also containing an inspiring universal message. There are two more books in the set, another chapter and picture book combo. It'll be interesting to see what Christy Jordan-Fenton writes next about her mother-in-law's experiences of growing up Inuit. - "When I Was Eight" is a poignant tale of an eight-year-old Inuit girl named Olemaun whose one desire above all else is to read. She wishes to go to the outsider's school (Reservation school) but her father doesn't want to send her for reasons Olemaun comes to understand much later. When she does attend the school, Olemaun finds herself and the other Inuit students being put to work, doing menial chores, and sadly, Olemaun becomes the target of a cruel nun who taunts and humiliates the young girl.
The story is depressing but as my eight-year-old read this to me during our nightly bedtime reading, we both rejoiced in Olemaun's tenacity and fierce determination to not only rise above her oppression but to also realize her dream of learning to read. Yes, the story is incredibly sad, especially when one considers the abominable treatment these young children had to endure in a place that was meant to shelter, care for, and educate them. I spent some time discussing the themes in the book with my young daughter and she expressed happiness and relief that Olemaun was able to learn to read, despite all that she had endured.
After reading "When I Was Eight", I discovered that the author had also written Fatty Legs A True Story, which is a chapter book on a similar theme geared towards readers ages 9 and up. My daughter has expressed interest in reading the book, and I for one intend to read Broken Circle The Dark Legacy of Indian Residential Schools. - We read "When I Was Eight" for our homeschool history study. We also read "Not My Girl". I recommend reading both books together for a more complete picture of Olemaun's experiences. Both books were beautifully written and illustrated, and made even more special because they are true. Written from the perspective of an eight year old child, "When I Was Eight" was very accessible for my second grader, and she really connected to Olemaun, and the story of being bullied by an adult (a mean nun) and having to be resourceful and tenacious in order to survive and thrive in an alien and hostile environment (the school). Written from the perspective of a ten year old in "Not My Girl", Olemaun has feelings of not fitting in when she returned to her family, but there is so much love and patience from her parents that she finally feels at home again. We loved both of these books so much we are planning to also read the longer books as well ("Fatty Legs" and "A Stranger at Home").
Thank you to the authors and illustrator for such a valuable document written for children.
This review was written by alias "Jumping Fish", age seven
" I read the book "When I Was Eight". The little girl in the story has to go to a "Indian" school. Her name is Olemaun. The nun at the school is not nice. It is good, good, good !!! Olemaun is strong and nice. She understood that nun was trying to get a reaction and she ignored her."
