Penguin Bloom is a heartwarming true story about a family's journey of healing, centered around a little magpie named Penguin. The Bloom family, led by Sam Bloom, faces a life-altering challenge when Sam suffers a severe accident, leaving her paralyzed from the chest down. This event shakes the family's world, as Sam struggles with her physical limitations and emotional turmoil.
One day, the family rescues a baby magpie they name Penguin, who had fallen from its nest and was injured. As the Blooms care for the bird, Penguin begins to bond with the family, especially Sam. Through the bird’s recovery, the family finds hope and resilience. Penguin's quirky personality and determination to heal mirror Sam's own struggles and slowly help her reconnect with life and her family.
The story, captured through Cameron Bloom's photographs and Bradley Trevor Greive's narration, beautifully illustrates how the unlikely friendship between a wounded bird and a struggling family brings joy, comfort, and strength during tough times. Penguin Bloom is a touching tale about healing, hope, and the unbreakable bond between humans and animals.
Here are some resources that you may find useful during your studies. Search the Bennies catalogue Accessit for more, or browse the Non-fiction collection NFS.
Penguin Bloom by A young mother's world is shattered after a near-fatal accident leaves her paralysed. As she and her family struggle to adjust an unlikely ally enters their world: an injured baby magpie.
Somewhere, flying around the northern beaches of Sydney, is a magpie called Penguin who often thinks she's a human. And if that's not incredible enough, this amazing bird has another claim to fame. She's a lifesaver. Penguin taught Sam Bloom how to live again after the mother of three fell from a balcony, broke her back and became a paraplegic. It's a truly inspiring tale that not surprisingly will also soon be a Hollywood movie.
If you’re in need of an impossibly sweet and moving story right now - and let’s face it; who isn’t? - Penguin Bloom on Netflix is an absolute must watch. Directed by Glendyn Ivin, the film is an adaptation of the true story of the Bloom family. While on vacation, Sam Bloom (Naomi Watts) suffers a fall that results in the lower two-thirds of her body being paralyzed. As a very involved parent and athlete, Sam’s life is totally derailed by the accident. Her husband Cam (Andrew Lincoln) and their three young sons do what they can to support her and help her adjust, but the significant nudge Sam needs actually comes from an injured baby magpie they name Penguin.
Why we love it: Penguin Bloom is a truly original book – part photographic journal, part tragic story – and readers of all kinds will fall in love with the stunning images and be moved to the core by the heartrending narrative.
For fans of A Streetcat Named Bob comes Finding Gobi, the heart-warming true story of a dog who captured the hearts of the world. Younger readers' edition.
Finding Gobi is the ultimate story of hope and friendship - proving once again, that dogs really are 'man's best friend.'
In 2016, Dion Leonard, an ultramarathon runner, stumbled across a little stray dog while competing in a gruelling 155 mile race across the Gobi Desert. The pup earned the name 'Gobi', as she went step for step with Dion, keeping pace with him for nearly 80 miles. What Gobi lacked in size, she made up for in heart.
Dion had always focused on winning, but as he witnessed the incredible determination of this small animal, he felt something inside him change. This is a story of a life changing friendship between one man and a little stray dog called Gobi.
