Jasmine's Journey

Sylvia Pantaleo is an associate professor of education, specializing in
children’s literature, at the University of Victoria. She is the
coauthor of Learning with Literature in the Canadian Elementary
Classroom.

When a fire destroys Joel’s family’s cottage in northern Nova
Scotia, the young boy and his beloved pet, Jasmine, a Siamese cat,
become separated. Jasmine, who narrowly escaped the burning cottage, is
traumatized by the fire and hiding in a nearby forest. Joel is
devastated by her disappearance.

Joel does not find her, and he and his family must return to their home
in Halifax. So Jasmine sets out to find them. During her trek, she
receives spiritual encouragement from Bastet, Queen of Cats, escapes
from the clutches of an owl, learns how to hunt, befriends a fox cub,
and gets caught in a steel trap. A man releases Jasmine from the trap
and takes her to his barn, where she meets and befriends Star, a
Percheron horse. While sleeping at the barn, Jasmine experiences
unsettling dreams about Joel, and knows that she must find him soon.
When Star is taken to a fair in Halifax, Jasmine goes with him.

She now has an opportunity to be reunited with Joel.

The pacing of the plot is appropriate, but the events are reminiscent
of other stories with lost pets that confront adversity and danger on
their journeys to find their owners. The story would be more realistic
without the animals communicating to one another in human dialogue.
Further, the inclusion of the spiritual Bastet does not significantly
contribute to the advancement or the realism of the story. Although “A
Note About Jasmine’s Journey” is provided at the end of the novel, a
map charting the cat’s journey would be more informative for readers.
Not a first-choice purchase.