Scan barcode
Reviews
Penguin the Magpie: The Odd Little Bird Who Saved a Family by Bradley Trevor Greive, Cameron Bloom
sam_hartwig's review against another edition
4.0
When I was a kid, my mum rescued a baby magpie that was being attacked by crows. We named her Bird Bird (not very original), and she lived in our back yard for many years as her wing was badly injured and she couldn't fly.
Reading this book and seeing all the photos of Penguin brought back memories of when we had Bird Bird.
Such a heartbreaking story, but one I'm glad I read.
Reading this book and seeing all the photos of Penguin brought back memories of when we had Bird Bird.
Such a heartbreaking story, but one I'm glad I read.
oviedorose's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
4.0
hoadjie's review against another edition
4.0
A beautiful written story.
Sam Bloom must be an amazing women. The photography is amazing. It worth picking up this book just to see the photos.
Worth a read.
Sam Bloom must be an amazing women. The photography is amazing. It worth picking up this book just to see the photos.
Worth a read.
henrymarlene's review against another edition
5.0
I read this as mumma maggie in the smoky dusk, was digging up my lawn finding dinner for her baby. This was a sweet, sad, and comforting read. I love magpies, they are intelligent and friendly, and I love interacting with the family in my 'hood' who get all chirpy when I fill the bird bath for them. @cambloom and @tasmanian_grizzly created such a beautiful song of words and pictures in this story of Sam's recovery after her fall, and Penguin's survival. Penguin is a marvellous spokesbird that captured my heart, just like my neighbourhood magpie family do.
Read this and enjoy the beauty of the book and magpies.
Read this and enjoy the beauty of the book and magpies.
micht15's review against another edition
3.0
A beautifully told story of the Bloom family and their gift of a magpie, Penguin Bloom. 3.5 stars
lizahotta's review against another edition
3.0
Penguin Bloom är tveklöst den vackraste bok jag läst, älskar de fina bilderna. Historien är känslosam och sorglig men i huvudsak mycket kärleksfull. Som djurvän kan jag verkligen relatera till att ett djur blir till en familjemedlem, ett barn, och kärleken till och från Penguin berör mig djupt.
jennifermreads's review
5.0
Hope and healing can come in unusual packages. For the Bloom family, they found a guiding star in the injured magpie they found in their yard. After wife and mom Sam sustained paralyzing injuries, the family struggled to recover and adapt but Sam had even darker struggles. Penguin, so named because of the magpie’s coloring, was nursed back to health and, in turn, she nursed the family.
It probably goes without saying that the prologue by Cameron Bloom detailing his relationship with his wife, the start of their marriage & family, and the accident that changed all their lives but especially Sam’s, was poignant. Cameron’s photographs are breathtaking. It is hard to remember these were not staged; this precious bird really was this connected to and tender with the family.
But, the most powerful part of the book proved to be the epilogue written by Sam Bloom. She pulls no punches about her injury, the darkness that surrounded her healing, her relief at finding hope in kayaking, and her bluntness with those new to injury and the journey they are beginning. She is also very frank with family members who may be reading her words. After years of working with people with disabilities, I can say that, as an outsider, Sam’s honesty would be appreciated by all involved in the recovery process of someone who is paralyzed. Too often, the knee-jerk reaction is to sugarcoat and gloss over. Sam just lays it all out and says “It is going to be hell” (not in those words exactly) but she does nudge toward promise and hope.
This is a beautiful story with gorgeous photographs. And, it only crossed my desk because of a pesky crow picking at the weather-striping on my library’s windows. He drove us all insane with his incessant pecking and persistent picking. Then a colleague said “Hey, have you heard about Penguin the Magpie?” and we all went racing to find the book on the shelf, eager for a positive story about a bird (because we were ready to throttle that crow!). But this book? It is about so much more than a bird.
It probably goes without saying that the prologue by Cameron Bloom detailing his relationship with his wife, the start of their marriage & family, and the accident that changed all their lives but especially Sam’s, was poignant. Cameron’s photographs are breathtaking. It is hard to remember these were not staged; this precious bird really was this connected to and tender with the family.
But, the most powerful part of the book proved to be the epilogue written by Sam Bloom. She pulls no punches about her injury, the darkness that surrounded her healing, her relief at finding hope in kayaking, and her bluntness with those new to injury and the journey they are beginning. She is also very frank with family members who may be reading her words. After years of working with people with disabilities, I can say that, as an outsider, Sam’s honesty would be appreciated by all involved in the recovery process of someone who is paralyzed. Too often, the knee-jerk reaction is to sugarcoat and gloss over. Sam just lays it all out and says “It is going to be hell” (not in those words exactly) but she does nudge toward promise and hope.
This is a beautiful story with gorgeous photographs. And, it only crossed my desk because of a pesky crow picking at the weather-striping on my library’s windows. He drove us all insane with his incessant pecking and persistent picking. Then a colleague said “Hey, have you heard about Penguin the Magpie?” and we all went racing to find the book on the shelf, eager for a positive story about a bird (because we were ready to throttle that crow!). But this book? It is about so much more than a bird.