author
Florence Partello Stuart
1884–1959
An adventurous writer and radio entertainer, she brought the jungles and cultures of the southern Philippines to young readers through her best-known creation, Piang. Her stories blend danger, bravery, and vivid natural settings with a strong sense of curiosity about life beyond America.
1 Audiobook
The adventures of Piang, the Moro jungle boy : a book for young and old
by Florence Partello Stuart
About the author
Born Florence Agnes Partello in Iowa on September 6, 1884, she later became Florence Partello Stuart, the wife of Colonel George Washington Stuart. Contemporary sources describe her as an author, society matron, and radio entertainer who worked in Denver broadcasting during the 1930s.
Stuart is best known for The Adventures of Piang the Moro Jungle Boy, first published in 1917. Set among the forests, rivers, and islands of Mindanao, the novel follows a young Moro boy facing perilous trials and searching for wisdom. She later returned to the character in The Pledge of Piang (1943), while also writing short stories and magazine fiction for publications including St. Nicholas.
Her writing reflected a deep interest in the Philippines and its peoples. In an introduction to Piang, she explained that time spent in the lower Philippines inspired her to share the life and traditions of the Moro people with American readers. She died in Monterey County, California, on December 19, 1959.