A young Labrador, an old bull terrier and a Siamese cat cross the Canadian wilderness to find their way home
Three animals heading home
While the Hunter family spends several months in England, their three pets stay with a family friend, John Longridge, at his home in northwestern Ontario. There is Luath, a young red-gold Labrador retriever; Bodger, an old, half-blind bull terrier who loves people and fights anything; and Tao, a proud, clever Siamese cat. When Longridge leaves on a trip, a misunderstanding means no one realizes that the animals have gone.
Who will enjoy it
Readers aged about nine and up, and families, who love animal stories about loyalty, courage and the wild outdoors.
What you will get
A gripping, moving and much-loved classic about three loyal pets crossing the wild Canadian north together to find their way home.
The Incredible Journey Facts: Pages, Genre and Setting
Genre
Children’s Books · Animals · Wilderness · Loyalty
Length
160 pages · ≈ 5 h
More about this book
Guided by Luath's instinct that home lies to the west, the three animals set off across the wilderness, a land of forests, lakes and rivers with few people. Along the way they face hunger, cold, a dangerous river crossing, a bear, a lynx and other threats. They also meet kind strangers, among them an Ojibwa family and a lonely farming couple, who help them before they move on again.
Sheila Burnford describes each animal's character with great affection and close observation, without making them talk or think like humans: Luath's determination, Bodger's cheerful toughness and Tao's independence all come through in their actions. The friendship between the three is touching, and the descriptions of the northern landscape are vivid. There are tense and frightening moments, and some injuries, but the story is suitable for young readers.
Exciting, warm and deeply moving, a book that has won generations of readers and many awards. Readers who know the films will find the original story quieter and more realistic, and the ending is one of the most satisfying in children's literature. About 160 pages in the Yearling paperback.
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