parents may attack. In doing so, the koala latches onto Mary and her dress is destroyed. Mary then reflects that while a week ago nothing more calamitous could have happened to her, now she is at ease with her nakedness. She and Peter then discover some wet clay which they use to draw pictures: Peter draws nature while Mary draws stylish women and her dream house. Eventually, the children see smoke and come across a group of Aboriginal swimmers. A man recognizes the drawings. His son owns a "warrigal", or pet dog, which serves as a link between the boy and Peter. The father sees Mary's dream house and realizes Mary and Peter seek civilization. In a wide variety of gestures and drawings, he tells the children that there is a house like that across the hills and demonstrates how to reach there. The overjoyed children thank him and begin their trek back to civilization. Reception It is by far Vance's most popular work, due in large part to the success of the related film. Reviewers have praised Walkabout for its detailed and accurate descriptions of the Australian environment. External links Summary and Teacher's notes (pdf) References 1959 British novels Australian bildungsromans British bildungsromans British novels adapted into films Novels about survival skills Novels set in Australia Novels set in the Northern Territory Michael Joseph books