Saku’s Great Newfoundland Adventure

Told from the perspective of Saku, a Cape Shore water dog, Saku’s Great Newfoundland Adventure chronicles a 700-kilometer trek from the town of Robinsons in western Newfoundland to Cape Broyle on the Avalon Peninsula. Saku and his owner, Justin Barbour, known as the “Newfoundland Explorer”, trained for months for the expedition which took place in spring of 2017. They spent their days snowshoeing, hiking and packrafting in the wilderness, stopping occasionally to fish or to stock up on supplies in towns along the way. Though Barbour, an experienced explorer, planned for almost every eventuality, the trip was delayed when crusty snow tore one of Saku’s paw pads, and shooting the rapids near Round Pond resulted not only in the twosome’s being tossed out of the raft but also in the loss of some of their food and equipment. After a couple of months of travelling over various terrains, sleeping in a nylon tent, and having little contact with humans beyond brief encounters while stocking up on supplies and phone calls home via satellite phone, Barbour and his canine companion finally arrived in Cape Broyle to a cheering crowd.

There are several positive aspects of this book: it encourages youth to spend time outdoors in nature; it extols the beauty of Newfoundland; and it celebrates the achievement of an adventurer and the special bond between a man and his dog. However, the book tries to do too many things: it is part photo documentary, part illustrated story (told from a dog’s point-of-view), and part nonfiction with the factual information found in the sidebars. As a result, it lacks cohesiveness. The text is sometimes disjointed, its fluency interrupted by the sidebars whose facts could easily have been placed at the back of the book along with the rest of the information in the wordy glossary. A bit of revision, in terms of sequence and clarity, is also warranted. For example, the author could have had Saku introduce himself right at the beginning, explain that he is a water dog named after Saku Koivu, the hockey player, and tell why his owner is embarking on such a long trek. Occasionally, pertinent details are left out, causing the reader some confusion. For example, is Heather accompanying the pair on their journey? The author merely states that Heather, Justin and Saku are travelling down the Trans-Canada Highway but never mentions Heather again until the end of the story. There is also an inconsistency between the use of miles and kilometres in the text. The map scale in is miles, but the narrative mentions both miles and kilometres. Seeing as this is a Canadian story, the use of metric measurement throughout would have been appropriate. Lastly, there are a couple of product “endorsements”- in particular an Alpacka raft and a Palisades Pack backpack made by Ruffwear Performance Dog Gear. Perhaps the mention of specific brands could have been omitted.

Illustrations consist of a few maps, colour photographs, as well as richly detailed digital art, hand-painted over a mix of licensed imagery and images of artist Corey Majeau’s old Labrador dog, Charlie. Majeau perfectly captures Newfoundland’s rugged beauty and most especially, Saku’s personality. The choice of illustrations is yet another example of the inconsistencies in the book. Photographs aren’t particularly crisp or bright, and the combination of photos and paintings disrupts the flow of the story. Perhaps Saku’s story should have been enhanced solely with Majeau’s illustrations and the photos relegated to the back of the book as is common in other books of this type.

Though Barbour’s story is most inspiring, Saku’s Great Newfoundland Adventure will mainly garner regional interest.