Incredible Journey by Sheila Burnford is a timeless classic, which narrates the arduous and brave journey taken by three pet animals towards the family they love over harsh and dangerous terrain, and is an emotionally rich story, which will move the reader and will leave him with a glow of satisfaction. The feelings and emotions of these pet animals, their love towards each other and their loyalty and love for their owners are captured and expressed by the author with such a clarity that both young and old readers will find Incredible Journey a highly enjoyable read.Luath, a young and strong Labrador Retriever; Bodger, an old English Bull Terrier and Tao, a sleek and resolute Siamese cat are pets of ‘The Hunter Family’ and lives in northwestern Ontario in Canada. When the ‘Hunters’ leave for England for a few months these three lovable pets are left in the care of ‘John Longridge’, a family friend. With in a few days Longridge and the animals settle into a routine life of mutual companionship and contentment. But when Longridge leaves for a two-week hunting trip, Luath who was constantly longing for the company of the ‘Hunter Family’ urges the two other animals to take a journey towards their original home which is about 300 miles away. Following their instincts and led by Luath, these three incredibly loyal companions braves through the harsh Canadian wilderness overcoming a range of obstacles – like starvation, drowning, attacks from wild beasts, exposure to nature and really harsh terrain - fueled only by their mutual love and their insatiable desire to be with their owner. Author does a commendable job of describing the frigid scenery of the Canadian wilderness and the approach of the winter with supreme clarity and this adds to the reading pleasure.One of the strengths of the book is the choice by the author not to make it into a fantasy by giving the animals ability to talk; instead Sheila Burnford presents the story by observing and narrating each details of adventure, misery, plight and danger that the animals experience from the journey to the reader lucidly, which makes it seem a realistic tale. Incredible Journey is a fantastic book, which narrates an incredibly charming story of love, survival, loyalty and companionship brimming with adventure and excitement and the calm pace with which the narration follows will mesmerize the reader. If you have a young reader at home, or if you love animals, or if you are a reader who love to read something that will make you feel good then this story, which has a healthy dose of ‘sharing and caring’, is highly recommended. The live-action Walt Disney movie of 1963 titled ‘Incredible Journey’ and the 1993 remake titled ‘Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey’ were both based on this book.
Austin HammondGoodreadsEnglish 12-5“The Incredible Journey”Author: Sheila BurnfordI just finished reading the book “The Incredible Journey.” I thought this book was good, and I enjoyed reading it. The story takes place in Northwestern Ontario, Canada, where John Longridge lives. John Longridge is in charge of watching his friends' pets while they are away on vacation. Along the way, due to some miscommunication, the pets are nowhere to be found. Throughout the book you go along with them on their journey home. The beginning of the book starts out with the three pets. There are two dogs, Bodger the Old English Bull Terrier, and Lauth, the young Labrador Retriever. Last, but not least, of the three pets is Tao, the Siamese cat. They are all sitting at John Longridge's side in his little cabin in northwestern Ontario. When John goes away on a duck hunting trip for a couple weeks, he leaves a note for his neighbor to watch after the animals. Neither of them know that the note fell into the fireplace. The three pets decide, due to the lack of human interaction, to make their way home, which is 300 miles away. The main character of the book is Bodger. Bodger is a very handsome looking Old English Bull Terrier. Bodger is an-eleven-year old dog and white fur, with a little bit of a pink tint. Bodger is a very wise, brave dog and he is very loyal. Bodger is also nearly blind in his left eye. Lauth is the other dog in the story. Lauth is the most recent addition to the family of three pets. Lauth is a young Labrador Retriever with red gold fur. He is very strongly built, a good hunter, and is always by Bodger’s side. Tao is a Siamese cat with sapphire eyes. Tao is a very fun and adds some humor to the story. Tao is also good hunter and a good addition to the three.I liked reading this book a lot, I thought it was a very good book. The book has two themes. One is that anything is possible if you put your mind to it. If you look at Bodger, Lauth, and Tao they went on an incredible journey to get back home to their owners. Another lesson is the book shows how much love most owners have for their pets and how much love pets have for their owners.I would give this book a 4-star rating I thought it was pretty good and I enjoyed reading it. I would recommend it to teens through adults, male or female. I think its a good read and if you love animals or the wilderness, this is a great book for you.
What do You think about The Incredible Journey (1995)?
“The Incredible Journey” is another book where animals actually serve as the main characters, and the story is about how these housepets make a trip of several hundred miles through the wilderness to re-unite with their owners. I’m always amazed by these type of animal stories, and how the authors succeed in letting the reader have a peek in on the animals’ thoughts and feelings.Unlike “The Call of the Wild”, the two dogs and a cat in this book don’t feel very much in touch with wild animals, no matter how much time they spend on their own and despite the life-or-death challenges that they face. They do adapt to their environment in order to survive, but this behavior is all done with the goal of getting back to their family.I really enjoyed reading about how the young Labrador simply knew which direction to head. It was almost as if he didn’t have any choice but to lead the others on this journey, like he was being pulled back to the home where he knew that they belonged. His sense of purpose was impressive, even when the animals were presented with several easy opportunities where they could have quit their journey.
—James Vachowski
buku yang saya peroleh dari sebuah lapak online milik seorang teman ini, walau hanya 138 halaman, tapi sarat makna. Berkisah tentang persahabatan 2 ekor anjing dan seekor kucing, yang dititipkan oleh keluarga Jim Hunter yang harus pindah tempat tinggal sementara ke Inggris, kepada sahabatnya Longridge.Oh ya, mereka tinggal di Kanada. Ketika musim gugur tiba, Longridge menitipkan ketiga binatang peliharaan itu pada Mrs Oakes, pengurus rumah tangganya, karena dia harus bertemu saudara laki- lakinya di sebuah tempat peristirahatan di tepi danau, yang berjarak lebih dari 300 km. Masalah terjadi saat Longridge pergi. Ketiga binatang itu juga ikut meninggalkan rumah. Dan sayangnya karena pesan yang tidak diterima utuh oleh Mrs Oakes( karena kertasnya robek), terjadi kesalahpahaman. Mrs Oakes mengira bahwa pada akhirnya binatang binatang itu( Tao si kucing siam, Luth si labrador muda dan Brigadier, si terrier tua) ikut Longridge ke pondok peristirahatannya.Lalu dimulailah kisah petualangan ketiga binatang tersebut. Dan kisah demi kisah membalut hari demi hari yang mereka lalui. Tao yang nyaris tenggelam, Luth yang luka parah tertusuk duri landak yang hendak dimangsanya, juga terrier tua yang berkelahi habis habisan melawan seekor Collie di perjalanan.Mereka saling menjaga dan melindungi. Di perjsalanan mereka berjumpa tidak hanya dengan orang orang baik, tapi juga bertemu dengan beruang beruang galak dan orang orang yang tak berperasaan.Lantas, bagaimanakah akhir perjalanan itu? Hendak kemanakah mereka sebenarnya akan pergi? Akankah mereka tetap bersama atau terpisahkan? Semuanya diceritakan dengan menarik, lembar demi lembar, sampai halaman terakhir. Walau jumlah halamannya tidak banyak, tapi sebagai pembaca saya puas. Karakter masing masing binatang tergambar dengan jelas, keindahan dan suasana musim gugur terwakili oleh rangkaian kalimat demi kalimat yang ditulis.Dan kisah tentang persahabatan yang terjadi, betul betul sampai ke hati.Buku ini bagus buat bahan cerita kepada anak anak, dengan orang tua bisa skip bagian bagian tertentu yang masih terdengar kejam, seperti adegan memakan binatang buruan.Walau ada sedikit hal yang mengganjal, yakni kenapa Mrs Oakes tidak mengecek keberadaan ketiga binatang itu ke Longridge, tapi bagian lainnya adalah kehangatan yang tersaji dengan baik.
—Dhani
I first read this book when I was either 8 or 9 years old. I remember doing a book report and drawing a picture of the two dogs and the cat. My grandma had bought me this book because she knew I loved animals.Now, 25 years later, I'm reading it again and all the images of that first readings are flooding through my mind. I still worry about Tao when he gets washed downstream away from the dogs. I still laugh at Bodger when he meets the old farm couple. I still cry at the end when everything wor
—Lindsay Nichols
