The Incredible Journey

The Incredible Journey by Sheila Burnford

The only reference I had for The Incredible Journey was watching Disney's 1993 movie: Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey when I was younger. I figured it was (finally) time to read the original.

I checked out the Incredible Journey from my library's Overdrive collection, so I could enjoy it while I walked. It made an excellent companion because the animals were on the move and so was I! It also kept my interest as I relived that the Disney movie was far from the book. (But aren't most movie adaptations far from the book?)

I'll try not to play the comparison game between the two media forms. Each are great in the their own way. The biggest different was the location of the book - it's not America, it's Canada! The location made the journey so much harder because winter was coming. I say winter in Canada is harder because it is further North than the US. It's also wilder, less populated in certain parts of their country. (This book was written in 1960, when less people populated the earth and technology wasn't at everyone's fingertips.)

I appreciated that Burnford wrote about her animals as animals. They were not speaking to each other or holding conversations with humans or other critters. The author observed and reported the happenings on the journey. It made the story come alive in reality, rather than fantasy.

The audiobook version was narrated by Megan Follows. It took me a little bit to realize who was reading. (I checked out the book without paying attention to the narrator.) Her voice was so familiar and when I looked it up I was so pleased to read the name Megan Follows! She is known for her role as Anne Shirley in Anne of Green Gables. (One of my favorite film series.) Follows has a fine voice for narration. I also appreciated that Listening Library hired a Canadian to narrate a Canadian story. Something different in the recording was the use of music in the story. The music faded in when their were intense moments of the story. I thought that was very interesting. I think it was added to either warn younger readers about trouble ahead or heighten the emotions of the listener. Either way it was interesting. I don't think it took away from the story, but I'm not sure if it added anything either.

Reviewed from a library copy.

Audio Book Details...
The Incredible Journey by Sheila Burnford
Read by Megan Follows
Produced by Listening Library
Number of Discs: MP3 download (3 parts)
Total Time: 3 hours, 7 minutes
ISBN: 9780739360538