Storm Boy (novel) facts for kids
Storm Boy is a famous Australian children's book. Colin Thiele wrote it in 1964. It tells the story of a special friendship between a boy and his pelican. The book also explores the boy's relationships. These include his father, Hide-Away Tom, and an Aboriginal man named Fingerbone.
The story has been turned into plays and movies many times. The movie Storm Boy from 1976 won top awards. It received the Jury and Best Film prizes at the 1977 AFI Awards.
Contents
Discover the Story of Storm Boy
Storm Boy loves to explore the wild, empty coast. He walks among the sand dunes facing the Southern Ocean. One day, a pelican mother is shot. Storm Boy finds her three baby pelicans. He takes care of them until they are healthy.
He gives them names: Mr. Proud, Mr. Ponder, and Mr. Percival. When he lets them go, his favorite, Mr. Percival, comes back. The story then shows the challenges Storm Boy faces. He loves his free life, but he is told he must go to school. The book also explores what happens to his pelican friend.
How Storm Boy Came to Life
The story of Storm Boy has been adapted in many ways. It has been made into films, plays, and even a video game.
Film Adaptations
The first movie, Storm Boy, came out in 1976. It won the Jury Prize and Best Film at the 1977 Australian Film Institute Awards. David Gulpilil played Finger Bone. Greg Rowe starred as Storm Boy. The movie's slogan was "Every year has its special film, this year it's...Storm Boy".
A second movie adaptation was released in January 2019. This film starred famous actors like Geoffrey Rush and Jai Courtney.
Stage Plays and Audio
An audio version of the story was created in 1994. The Bell Shakespeare Company performed a play of Storm Boy in 1996. They toured it across Australia. Trent Atkinson played the main role of Storm Boy.
The Sydney Theatre Company also performed a stage version. This play was adapted by Tom Holloway. It was shown in 2013 and 2015. They worked with Perth's Barking Gecko Theatre Company on this production.
Video Game Adventure
A children's video game called Storm Boy: The Game was released in late 2018. Blowfish Games developed it. The game follows the book's story. It also includes fun mini-games based on events from the book. You can play it on PC, PS4, Xbox One, Android, and Nintendo Switch.
