Reading (R4/ Pre-Int)

The Incredible Journey is a children’s book by Canadian author Sheila Burnford, which was first published in 1961. It tells the story of three animals, Luath, Bodger and Tao – two dogs and a cat – who made an incredible and dangerous journey across the north-west of Canada.

The animals’ owners, the Hunter family, went on a trip to the UK and left the three pets with a friend, John. One day, John left for a trip with his brother, and the animals left to try and find their family. John’s housekeeper thought that John had taken the animals with him, and so she didn’t realise that the animals had gone.

The three animals followed their instincts and went west. On their journey they faced many dangers, including bad weather and attacks from wild animals. They met many kind or strange people on the way.

When the Hunters came back from the UK and went to collect their animals, they were very upset to find that they had gone. With the help of the police they tried to find their three pets, but decided that they had probably died in the wild Canadian countryside. The Hunters then went to their cottage by a beautiful lake, and they found the animals there in the forest, waiting for them. They had travelled 400 kilometres to get there!