Can I Call You Colin? by Stephany Evans Steggall

Most Australians know Colin Thiele as the author of the much-loved children's classic Storm Boy, but as this well-researched and evocative account of Colin's life shows, he has contributed so much more to Australian literature and culture. Although hampered by painful, chronic arthritis, Colin wrote constantly throughout his sixty-year career, producing an astounding number of books including children's fiction, poetry collections and environmental texts. He also worked as an inspiring teacher and was a key figure in the development of South Australia's educational system.

Stephany Evans Steggall first met Colin when he was awarded the Dromkeen Medal for 1997. She had been drawn to him since reading his biography of Sir Hans Heysen a couple of years previously. The time was right for Colin's own biography to be written. He had a resonant Australian voice, in tune with the natural world and capable of reaching the highest and lowest notes of human experience.

In Can I Call You Colin? Stephany orchestrate's Colin's warm character, resilient spirit and myriad achievements. This is an entertaining and uplifting monograph on the life and times, humour and humanity of Colin Thiele, a remarkable Australian.