Our readers may member Penguin the Magpie, who became a global social media sensation after her adventures with her human family were shared online.
Boasting 176k followers on Instagram, Penguin’s story began in 2013, when the abandoned, injured chick was found by the Bloom family. Cameron and Sam and their three young sons nursed her back to health, and she became one of their own.
But there’s far more to Penguin’s story than meets the eye. The book Penguin Bloom: The odd little bird who saved a family is more about Sam, a fan of sports and outdoor activities who became paraplegic after a near-fatal injury.
Sam’s recovery was long, frustrating and deeply depressing. “Every day presented her with a battle she couldn’t win. No longer able to follow her heart or commit her restless energy to immediate purpose. She sat at the edge of family life, watching, wishing. Sam quietly mourned the loss of her former self; she would cry herself to sleep and cry herself awake,” Cameron writes.
“I saw the light in her eyes grow dim. I knew she was withdrawing from the world. That such a fiercely free and passionate spirit could now be anchored beyond our love by pain and a steel chair was too much for us to bear.”
Like many other true stories celebrating human strength and resilience, Penguin Bloom is remarkable and inspiring. We cheer for Sam who survived her injuries and went on to become a four-time World Para Surf Champion while advocating for mental health and adapting to change.
But the book feels even more heart-warming as it presents a perfect parallel between human and nature, how they bond with and support each other through adversity and pain, until both can triumph over tragedy and trauma. Sam and Penguin show us that, however lost and/or damaged we feel, there will always be compassion, friendship and better days ahead.
Particularly worth reading is Sam’s personal message in the book, where she gives “brutally honest” advice to those who have suffered a serious spinal cord injury and been paralysed, and to those whose loved ones have endured a similar fate. To all of us, really, she has this to say:
“It’s up to you to choose how you will face the challenges and hard times ahead, and how you will seize the opportunities for creativity, productivity and happiness.”
Penguin Bloom has a film adaptation. One of the scriptwriters, Shaun Grant, will discuss writing for TV and film for the “From Page to Screen” panel at the forthcoming 2026 Dandenong Ranges Literary Festival. Fellow panelists include Kelly Lefever (one of Australia’s most accomplished television writers) and Tadji Ulrich (a multi-award-winning writer and director), and a screening of Penguin Bloom is keenly expected. More details can be found HERE.
Note 1: Also see Penguin Bloom (Young Readers Edition) (ABC Books, January 2021) by Chris Kunz, Shaun Grant and Harry Cripps. Adapted from the film, this edition tells the Bloom family’s story through the eyes of Noah, one of Cameron and Sam’s three boys.
Note 2: This book review was originally titled “Remarkable and inspiring” and published under the title “Remarkable” by Ranges Trader Star Mail, October 6, 2026, P.22.
