''Storm Boy'' is a 1964 Australian children's novel written by

Colin Thiele Colin Milton Thiele AC (; 16 November 1920 – 4 September 2006) was an Australian author and educator. He was renowned for his award-winning children's fiction, most notably the novels '' Storm Boy'', '' Blue Fin'', the '' Sun on the Stubble'' ...

, about a boy and his pelican. The story, set in the Coorong region of

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

, focuses on the relationships the boy has with his father Hide-Away Tom, the pelican, and an outcast

Australian Aboriginal Aboriginal Australians are the various Indigenous peoples of the Australian mainland and many of its islands, such as Tasmania, Fraser Island, Hinchinbrook Island, the Tiwi Islands, and Groote Eylandt, but excluding the Torres Strait I ...

man called Fingerbone. The story has been dramatised several times. The 1976 film adaptation '' Storm Boy'' won the Jury and Best Film prizes at the 1977 AFI Awards.

Plot summary

Storm Boy likes to wander alone along the fierce deserted coast among the dunes that face out into the

Southern Ocean The Southern Ocean, also known as the Antarctic Ocean, comprises the southernmost waters of the World Ocean, generally taken to be south of 60° S latitude and encircling Antarctica. With a size of , it is regarded as the second-small ...

. After a pelican mother is shot, Storm Boy rescues the three baby pelicans and nurses them back to health. He names them Mr Proud, Mr Ponder and Mr Percival. After he releases them, his favourite, Mr Percival, returns. The story then concentrates on the conflict between his lifestyle, the externally imposed requirement for him to attend a

school A school is an educational institution designed to provide learning spaces and learning environments for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is sometimes comp ...

, the fate of the pelican, and the relationship of the boy, and later his father, with Fingerbone.

Adaptations

The 1976 film adaptation '' Storm Boy'' won both the Jury Prize and Best Film at the 1977 Australian Film Institute Awards. The film starred

David Gulpilil David Dhalatnghu Gulpilil (1 July 1953 – 29 November 2021), known professionally as David Gulpilil and posthumously (at his family's request, to avoid naming the dead) as David Dalaithngu for three days, was an Indigenous Australian actor ...

in the role of Finger Bone and Greg Rowe in the title role. The film was advertised with the tagline "Every year has its special film, this year it's...Storm Boy". An audio dramatisation was made in 1994. The

Bell Shakespeare Bell Shakespeare is an Australian theatre company specialising in the works of William Shakespeare, his contemporaries and other classics. It is based in Sydney. The Bell Shakespeare vision is to create theatre that allows audiences of all wa ...

Company toured Australia with the play ''Storm Boy'' in 1996, with Trent Atkinson in the title role. The Sydney Theatre Company performed Tom Holloway's stage adaptation in 2013 and 2015 in collaboration with Perth's

Barking Gecko Theatre Company Barking Gecko Theatre is a Western Australian professional theatre company for children and families. Established in Perth in 1989, Barking Gecko Theatre has put on over 100 original Western Australian productions, toured 12 countries and reac ...

Trevor Jamieson Trevor Jamieson (born 7 March 1975) is an Aboriginal Australian stage and film actor, playwright, dancer, singer and didgeridoo player. Early life Trevor Jamieson was born on 7 March 1975 in Subiaco, Western Australia (WA). He grew up in t ...

played Fingerbone Bill in the 2013 production, while

Jimi Bani Jimi Bani is an Indigenous Australian actor, known for his portrayal of land rights activist Eddie Mabo in the 2012 tele-movie '' Mabo'', several television series, and theatre performances. Early life and education A Torres Strait Islander ( ...

played the character in 2015 (apart from three performances, where Shaka Cook stood in owing to an unforeseen family commitment). A children's

video game Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This fee ...

by the name of ''Storm Boy: The Game'', following the story and including a few mini-games based on its events, was released in late 2018 on several platforms. A second movie adaptation, starring

Geoffrey Rush Geoffrey Roy Rush (born 6 July 1951) is an Australian actor. He is known for his eccentric leading man roles on stage and screen. He is among 24 people who have won the Triple Crown of Acting, having received an Academy Award, a Primetime Em ...

Jai Courtney Jai Courtney (; born 15 March 1986) is an Australian actor. He started his career with small roles in films and television series before being cast as Charlie in the action film '' Jack Reacher'' (2012). He has gone on to star in '' A Good Day t ...

, with Trevor Jamieson reprising his role as Fingerbone Bill, was released in January 2019.

References

External links

{{Commons category, Storm Boy 1964 Australian novels 1964 children's books Australian children's novels Australian novels adapted into films Australian novels adapted into plays Novels adapted into video games Books about birds Fictional pelicans Novels set in South Australia