Nostalgic Friday: The Incredible Journey

Welcome back to Nostalgic Friday! Since I love all things historical (culturally, physically, and personally) I do a post on Fridays honoring some awesome book that is a bit older. Many of them are books I enjoyed in my teens and others are books that I discovered as an adult that I think are relevant to YA readers.

I was reminded of this little treasure when a patron asked me to help identify a movie that she had seen a child. Since she was a little younger than me, I was the most likely candidate to solve the mystery. The movie turned out to be "Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey." It turns out that this cute movie was actually based on the book The Incredible Journey by Sheila Burnsford which was originally written in 1960. The book was based on a true story.

Three household pets - a young Labrador named Luath, a Siamese Cat named Tao, and a senior Bull Terrier named Bodger - misunderstand their family's intentions when they are left behind with a friend during a vacation. So they set out together to find their family, crossing 200 miles of Canadian wilderness.*

While this may sound like a boring story, the interactions that accompany the story, and the journey the animals take, are the key. Who could possibly expect that a Bull Terrier and a Siamese Cat could be the best of friends because they share the same loathing of other cats? I can imagine these three sticking together, through the best and worst of their journey, to make their way home to their family. Even though I doubt it could ever happen again, I think Burnsford would be the best to write about it. Her descriptions of the surroundings and the animals' mannerisms are so vibrant that I could actually imagine watching it play out before me even before I saw the film.

If you like feel-good, happy books, this is your ticket. I truly enjoyed the very relaxed nature of the book and like to re-read it when I need a pick-me-up. I hope you decide to revisit it or give it more than a passing glance.

*Source