Customer Reviews

The Incredible Journey

5 star:		(35)
4 star:		(26)
3 star:		(19)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

The Incredible Journey tells the story of three animal companions - a young Labrador Retriever, an aging Bull Terrier, and a feisty Siamese cat - who embark on a dangerous journey home through the Canadian wilderness. They had been staying with a family friend while their real owners were temporarily residing in Europe, but they lit out for home on their own after their current keeper left for vacation. The plan was for the couple who took care of the house to look after the pets, but fate conspired to make them think Mr. Longridge had taken the animals with him. Thus, as the animals made their way west toward their old home, no one at all knew they were missing.

Sheila Burnford's narrative is surprisingly realistic. Animals can't survive for weeks without food, and the only food available in the Canadian forests in early autumn is other animals. The cat is especially good at snaring warm snacks, and the Lab is capable of chasing something down from time to time - and luckily, both are willing to share with the old Bull Terrier whose age is catching up with him. It's a little sad to read about the demise of so many birds and rodents, but this book describes the animals' captures and kills rather straightforwardly. Of course, the trio also benefits from a few encounters with humans (although the Bull Terrier learns that his charms don't always win over the person on the other side of the door). These make for some emotional passages of their own, but the trio only stay in one place long enough to refresh and recover themselves.

The woods hold many dangers, which the animals could never survive on their own. Indeed, each one of them suffers trials that threaten to end their journey altogether, and the friends are also separated at times. Whatever happens, though, the drive of the young Lab as he leads his friends ever westward toward his image of home overrides individual pains and fears. The commitment and bravery the animals show toward one another in the face of several very real threats is inspiring and heart-warming.

If you love pets or animals in general, this is a really emotional story - not only the ending, but several sections throughout the whole book. The friendship and teamwork of these three very different animals is touching and wonderful to watch and experience. The Incredible Journey is nothing less than a classic that all animal lovers should have in their personal library.

The Incredible Journey is mandatory reading for all kids and pet lovers. The book is on equal par with other classic animal tales such as Sounder and Old Yeller. It has a good combination of exciting action and emotionally-charged drama. Many young readers will be moved to both tears and cheers.

Through a series of mishaps, a trio of pets--a Labrador retriever, bull terrier, and Siamese cat--are left stranded in a cabin over two hundred miles from home. These three anthropomorphic characters assume the responsibility of saving themselves by journeying home by instinct and foot. What follows is a fantastic series of challenges and accomplishments. Their trek leads them through the north woods where they face wild predators, the elements, starvation, and incomprehensible distance. Along the way they learn lessons of love, loyalty, and perseverance. Wonderfully entertaining. --Christopher Bonn Jonnes, author of Wake Up Dead.

The book I read is a Weekly Reader Book, hardcover, with a copyright 1960, 1961 with the cover illustration copyright of 1986. The illustrations in the book are done by Carl Burger.

I loved this story since a child after watching the movie on The Wonderful World of Disney and I wanted to read and share the experience with my 6 year old daughter.

You will find yourself wanting to find out what will happen next as the three companions travel through hostile terrain to find their loving family hundreds of miles away.

The word choices are often hard to understand as an adult and my daughter would often ask "what does that mean"? Also she had a hard time keeping straight which dog was which but she did enjoy the book very much.

The last chapter is the best and I almost cried when two of the animals found their owners and then again when the old dog was reunited with his owner after everyone thought he did not survive The Incredible Journey.

I would like to know if this was any way based on a true story. You will enjoy this book very much but it is not a casual read.

Have you ever heard of 2 dogs and a cat traveling through the Canadian Wilderness. This book is great for 5th grade students. The author of this book is Sheila Burnford.

The book takes place in the Canadian Wilderness. The animals owner goes off on a hunting trip. The animals run after him. On the way the animals find a house to stay in. One of the dogs gets hit by a porcupine before they find the house. When they found him he and their real owners where looking for them.

What a great read! This is an awesome book because there is adventure, excitement and the book will make you want to keep reading it. In the book there is a fight with a mother bear and her cub. The animals also meet Indians. The Incredible Journey is even better than Hatchet.

The book had no awards. I think that's wrong. I have no suggestions for improving this book. There are no improvements because I think this is the best book ever.

You should buy this book. Or you could read it in school. If you wanted you could probably get it in the library.

The Incredible Journey is the best book I have ever read. It is the best suspense book, too. I think Sheila Burnford is the best descriptive writer I've ever read.This book is about two dogs and a cat . They have to go two hundred and thirty miles to find their owner at a river canoeing . The owner left them home and had somebody look after them . The person showed up late and the animals went to find their owner. The animals have to deal with wild animals like bears and porcupines. They also nearly starve while trying to be with their owner at the river. All in all, I think you should read this well-written book. You will find out how much animals love people and it teaches us to work together. There is so much more in this book. So, if you like suspense this is a great book to read!

Our names are Amiee and Nicole and we are from North Broward Preparatory School. We read the book,The Incredible Journey for an English Project. It was a good book. The beginning of the book was little boring. Other than that, it was pretty exciting. It was a very adventurous story. The Disney movies, The Incredible Journey and Homeward Bound were based on the book, but had some differences. At the beginning of the book, the animals run away from their current owner, in search of their original owners and home. Along the way, they run into many obstacles. If you are a pet lover and like adventures, this is a good book to read.

In the Incredible Journey by Shelia Burnford 3 animals go on a dangerous current owner (John Longbridge) is not clear but they somehow know their former owner is coming back.

Three animals venture from their own home off to their old home and encounter many dangers along the way. Not long after they leave they meet a bear who starts scratching and swiping at Bodger the bull terrier. Then a couple of days later they meet helpful Indians who feed the animals and clean Bodger's wounds. After a few hours they leave the Indians. When the animals come to a river Luath gets across it fine but has to encourage Bodger to come over. Once Bodger comes over the cat won't cross the river. When he finally does the dam breaks and Luath and Tao are swept away. They meet many other exciting dangers that I'll let you read about.

My favorite character was Bodger because he was the funniest.

I would recommend this book to 8-12 yr. olds because of challenging vocabulary. I would also recommend this to animal lovers and adventure readers.

I first saw this movie on Disney when I was about 9. Recently, over 20 years later, I was in Half Price Books and spotted the book so I bought it. I was intending to give it to my 10-year-old niece, but then I started reading it. I had tears in my eyes. It was so inspiring.
This book is very symbolic of the Christian walk--through the wilderness, into the "Promised Land". We all need each other--nobody is an island. We cannot go it alone. Like the animals in this book. They stay together and help each other all along the way. You can learn so much from this book!

I just finished reading aloud this book with my 11 year old son and we both loved it and found it an absolutely delightful story. My husband overheard us reading it aloud and was also immediately hooked on the story.

I am dismayed to read so many negative reviews on this book and suspect, after reading their comments, that a number of them were written by children who may not appreciate good literature and may possibly have been required to read it (oh the horror!!). Some of these reviews are simply ridiculous and I wish amazon would better screen some of the obvious frivolity as it is unfair to the book and to those of us who read the reviews with expectations of serious and well thought input from others.

This book was copyrighted in 1960 and is a great example of timeless literature with an enduring story. It is full of beautiful writing and extraordinary vocabulary -- a number of words new to me, and as well to my 11 year old, which increases the value of the book for educational purposes. The writing style is sophisticated, not "dumbed down" which I find most welcome, and rare among much of the more recent/modern literature put out for children. Though, I'm not sure if this book was originally intended as a children's book or not, perhaps just a good story for all to enjoy.

The author's obvious intimacy with the world of dogs and cats, their idiosyncrasies and endearing traits, was charming and well communicated throughout the story. We laughed at the incredibly accurate descriptions of "cat" behavior and delighted in the personalities she created that seemed so authentic. This is a well told, well written story that brings a smile to your heart.

This book and the associated Disney movie was the talk of my elementary school. All of my friends praised them to the skies and while I have never seen the movie, this is the second time that I have read the book. It is without question one of the most heart-warming stories about pets ever devised.
Two dogs and a cat are taken from their home and sent to live elsewhere while their owner is on vacation. They are not happy at their new "home" so they depart on a trek across hundreds of miles of Canadian wilderness. The story of how they cooperate, receive aid from friendly humans and battle their way through so many obstacles to arrive at their destination make this an emotional story. Naturally, there is a happy ending. This is an excellent book for children that have and love pets.