Weekly drawing 40: Storm Boy and Mr Percival

Another story I would love to illustrate 'Storm Boy' by Colin Thiele. I wish I'd read it earlier. As a kid I loved the movie and would dream of rafting along watercourses with a friendly Pelican.

It is truly a beautiful tale of father and son living among the elements on the fringes of society.
.. "between the Coorong and Murray Mouth..." ..."Their home a rough little humpy made of wood and brush and flattened sheets of iron from old tins..."

In the movie the father seems cold and distant to his son. Which is unfortunate because he is warm and caring in the book. Thiele cleverly depicts a hard man of the land who has removed himself from society but would do anything for his son.
The movie adds it's own spin on the story which is typical of movies based on books. I just don't know why directors or scriptwriters feel the need to chop and change a story which already works.