The Incredible Journey by Sheila Burnford
"The Incredible Journey" by Sheila Burnford is a beloved children's novel that tells the story of three animals—Luath the Labrador retriever, Bodger the bull terrier, and Tao the Siamese cat—who embark on a perilous journey through the Canadian wilderness to reunite with their owners. The narrative highlights themes of loyalty, friendship, and the instinctual drive for home, as the trio faces numerous challenges and encounters various humans and wildlife along the way. Initially cared for by John Longridge, the animals find themselves on an unexpected adventure when they misunderstand Longridge's departure note and set out westward.
Published in 1961, the book has received significant acclaim, winning awards such as the Canadian Book of the Year for Children and the Lewis Carroll Shelf Award. It has been translated into multiple languages and adapted into a film by Walt Disney Studios, contributing to its enduring popularity. Burnford's portrayal of the animals is notable for giving them distinct personalities, allowing readers to form emotional connections with them. While the narrative successfully engages readers with its structure and conflict resolution, critics have pointed out some inconsistencies in the portrayal of animal perspectives versus human ones. Despite its perceived flaws, "The Incredible Journey" remains a poignant and adventurous tale that resonates with audiences of all ages.
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Subject Terms
The Incredible Journey by Sheila Burnford
First published: 1961; illustrated
Type of work: Adventure tale
Themes: Animals, family, and nature
Time of work: The mid-twentieth century
Recommended Ages: 10-13
Locale: The Canadian wilderness northwest of Ontario
Principal Characters:
Luath , a reddish-gold Labrador retriever, at home with people only when he understands what is expected of himBodger , an old white English bull terrier, very unattractive but friendly to peopleTao , a Siamese cat, independent but loving and protective of Luath and Bodger, able to open nearly any doorJohn Longridge , a bachelor writer of about forty, looking after the pets while their owners are in EnglandMrs. Oakes , Longridge’s housekeeperJim Elizabeth , andPeter Hunter , the owners of the pets
The Story
The Incredible Journey is a story of loyalty and of the drive for home that causes Luath, Bodger, and Tao to risk their lives in order to rejoin their owners. John Longridge has been caring for them, but he goes camping, leaving a note for the housekeeper: “I will be taking the dogs (and Tao too of course!). . . .” Another page continues, “. . . out for a run before I leave.” He places the note under a paperweight, which Tao later knocks over.
After letting the animals out the next morning, Longridge leaves. Soon Luath leads the others west. Discovering the first page of the note and the ashes of the second in the fireplace, Mrs. Oakes thinks that Longridge has taken the animals.
The animals experience many adventures: Bodger is clawed by a bear, but Tao and Luath frighten it away. Several days later, some Ojibway Indians feed the animals. At various times they are seen by hunters, a ranger, a miner, a farmer, and a mink breeder.
They travel by day and rest by night. A week after the bear attack, Bodger is stronger than before. Tao thrives, but Luath is starving. The autumn is mild, but winter approaches, and they travel up to fifteen miles a day.
When they come to a river, Luath and Bodger cross safely, but Tao is swept downstream. Both dogs are saddened, but they go on. Helvi Nurmi revives Tao, but her father discovers that he is deaf. On the fourth night, after Helvi realizes that the cat can hear again, Tao leaves through an open window.
When Luath and Bodger come upon a fisher eating a porcupine, they claim the kill. When Luath tries to kill a porcupine himself, however, he receives quills in one side of his face. Trying to remove them, he embeds them further.
After being chased by a lynx, Tao rejoins Luath and Bodger, who are overjoyed. Both Tao and Bodger look after Luath, who cannot eat because of the quills.
Bodger seeks human reassurance in a village, but finds it only when he approaches a farmer, whose wife feeds him. When the farmer shoots a duck that falls into the lake, Luath swims after it. Unable to open his mouth, Luath brings the duck in by its wingtip. The farmer removes the quills. After eating heartily that night, the dogs are shut securely into the stable. When all is quiet, Tao unlatches the door to sleep with his friends, and in the early morning they resume their journey.
The Hunters return, eager to see their pets again, but Longridge reports the animals are somewhere in the wilderness. They piece together various reports of the animals’ progress.
Longridge visits the Hunters on Peter’s twelfth birthday. At Lookout Point Elizabeth hears a dog barking. Hunter whistles, and soon Tao and Luath join them. Peter is disappointed until Bodger appears. Then Tao runs to greet Bodger, showing that his loyalty for his friend is just as strong as his affection for his owner.
Context
The Incredible Journey is rightfully Sheila Burnford’s best-known and most successful work. Her first, it was published in 1961, and for it she was given the Canadian Book of the Year for Children medal in 1963 and the Lewis Carroll Shelf Award in 1971. The work has enjoyed continuing popularity since its publication. Millions of copies have been sold, it has been translated into sixteen languages, and it was made into a film by Walt Disney Studios. This attraction is caused primarily by the animals’ personalities. Tao, Luath, and Bodger are all individuals, and Burnford presents them in such a convincing way that readers come to know them as friends, not simply animals in a book.
In addition, Burnford’s structure is such that the recurrent danger that is resolved in every case is intellectually satisfying and cathartic, serving to release tension each time the conflict is resolved. This is the mark of a successful storyteller.
Nevertheless, despite the praise directed at the book and despite its commercial success, the work is flawed. The frame of the opening and closing chapters, focusing on people primarily, seems too obviously contrived, and the recurrent and regularly spaced threats to the animals are all too satisfyingly dealt with even though they are presented effectively.
Though the book has been hailed as a landmark in animal realism, the animals are actually more like people than like animals. They do not talk, nor do readers hear them think, but their true nature is not presented fairly, notes critic Fran Ashdown. In addition, the inconsistency of objectivity in the “animal sections” and omniscience in the “people sections” are troublesome.
Burnford’s other works, for which she is generally praised, include The Fields of Noon (1964), a book of essays; Without Reserve (1969), a narrative of her life among Cree and Ojibway Indians; One Woman’s Arctic (1972); Mr. Noah and the Second Flood (1973), a somewhat heavy-handed retelling of the ark story; and Bel Ria (1977), a story that is reminiscent of The Incredible Journey.
It appears that Burnford will be remembered primarily for The Incredible Journey, because, despite the book’s flaws, there is an air of nobility invested in the animals which is redemptive for them and for readers. Burnford’s success is not total, but she has written an exciting, involving tale of three likable animals in objective terms for the most part.