Penguin Bloom (ATOM Study Guide)

Synopsis:

In 2013, Samantha Bloom, her husband Cameron and their three sons left their home in Australia for a holiday in Thailand. While taking in the view, Sam fell off a rooftop, breaking her vertebrae in two places. Paralysed from the chest down, Sam — a lifelong outdoorswoman, surfer, and traveler — was unrecognizable to herself.

Trapped in a wheelchair, isolated and completely removed from her former way of life, she questioned who she could be in the world and in her own family. A year later, her children brought home a wounded baby magpie they found. Warily eyeing the black and white bird the kids affectionately named ‘Penguin’, Sam bonded with the household’s new member, beginning a process of emotional healing that surprised her husband and sons, her mother and herself.

Penguin Bloom tells the amazing true story of renewal that occurred when a woman whose life seemed shattered found hope and purpose, in her family’s love — and in a bird on its own journey of recovery.

Curriculum Links:

Penguin Bloom is suitable for upper primary and secondary school students in the following areas:

• English
• Film
• Media
• Community and Family Studies
• Science (Years 3-6)
• Society and Culture

Please Note: Penguin Bloom contains themes of spinal chord injury and the consequences of such an accident. Teachers should watch the first 10 minutes of the film to determine whether it is suitable for their students.