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Other names: Burnford, Sheila Philip Cochrane (née Every)
Birthdate: 1918-05-11
Date of death: 1984-04-20
Gender: female
Occupations: novelist
Awards and honors: Canadian Children's Book of the Year (1961)
Short biography: Sheila Philip Cochrane Burnford, née Every, (11 May 1918 – 20 April 1984) was a Canadian novelist. She was born in Scotland but brought up in various parts of the UK. She attended St. George's School, Edinburgh and Harrogate Ladies College. In 1941 she married Doctor David Burnford, to whom she had three children. During World War II she worked as a volunteer ambulance driver. In 1951 she emigrated to Canada, settling in Port Arthur, Ontario.

Burnford is best remembered for The Incredible Journey, a story about three animals traveling in the wilderness (1961), the first of a number of books she wrote on Canadian topics. The book was a modest success in 1961 but became a bestseller after it formed the basis of a successful Disney film. Although The Incredible Journey is marketed as a children's book, and in fact won the 1961 Canadian Children's Book of the Year award, Mrs Burnford has stated that it was not intended as a children's book. She died of cancer in the village of Bucklers Hard in Hampshire at the age of 65.

Sheila had very bright hair. Her eyes were blue and she had ginger hair.
Nationality: UK
Birthplace: Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland, UK
Places of residence: Port Arthur, Ontario, Canada
Place of death: Bucklers Hard, Hampshire, England, UK
Map Location: Scotland, UK

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97 reviews

AMQS 279 reviews

The Incredible Journey by Sheila Burnford

This was a favorite of mine when I was a child, and the girls and I loved reading this 1961 classic aloud this summer. The book tells about, well, the incredible journey of two dogs and a cat who cross several hundred miles of Canadian wilderness to reunite with their family. The book describes the quirks and personalities of the animals; their strengths, their weaknesses, foibles, bravery, and goofiness, without "telling" the story in the first person, or taking the cute path and contriving show more personification. Their tale of survival, possible only by the loyalty and love they show each other is deeply moving. The rugged and wild Canadian wilderness could well be a character also -- Burnford's descriptions are breathtaking. As with a few of our read alouds recently, I choked through the last few pages in tears. A wonderful, heartwarming read.

Burnford, S. E., & Shimizu, M. (1963). The incredible journey. London: Hodder & Stoughton. show less

Aug 16, 2011 (Edited)83 other reviews

LibraryCin 2,557 reviews

The Incredible Journey by Sheila Burnford

3.5 stars

When their owners leave for months, two dogs and a cat are boarded with a friend many miles away, but when that person leaves for a few days, the pets (after a mixup with the people meant to care for them for those few days) head out to find their way to their owners’ home through the wilderness in Ontario. One of the dogs is older, one younger, but they all have bumps and bruises along the way and sometimes come close to death as the three do their best to survive and take care show more of each other as they encounter water to swim across, various humans (most who help), and various wildlife.

I enjoyed this. It was quick to read. I do suspect the author had pets herself as many of the descriptions of the animals seemed pretty true to life. Despite this being a Canadian “classic” (I think), I’ve never read it before, nor have I seen any of the movies. show less

Jan 27, 202583 other reviews

vchandler 27 reviews

The Incredible Journey by Sheila Burnford

• 148 pages
• Fiction

2 dogs, Bodger and Luath, and a Siamese cat, named Tao, are the beloved pets of a young family in Canada who leave the pets with a friend 250 miles from their home. Though cared for by the friend, they long for their true masters and set off on the incredible 250-mile journey home. Through many terrifying adventures and several rescues from kind people along the way, they finally arrive home.

Well-written in 3rd person with little dialogue. An enjoyable book with show more exciting scenes, but today’s young readers may wish for more dialogue and character development of human beings.

One caveat is that there are several scenes with detailed, gory descriptions, e.g., the cat’s eating another animal in the food chain, the death of an animal that tries to kill the trio, and cruelty to the animals by a person they encountered. show less

Sep 22, 2024 (Edited)83 other reviews

VivienneR 1,538 reviews

One woman's arctic by Sheila Burnford

I can't believe this excellent book has been on my shelf unread for so long. Burnford's writing style is very pleasant to read while providing information and insight on a wide range of topics. It is somewhat dated in that it was published in 1973, and there have been big changes in the Arctic since then. However, I enjoyed the account of her stay in the "idyllic" community of Pond Inlet in the summers of the early 1970s when she accompanied artist Susan Ross, whose art is depicted on the show more endpapers. As a snapshot of those halcyon days Burnford's story makes very interesting and enjoyable reading. Highly recommended. show less

Dec 8, 20141 other review

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