Book Description

Doctor John Dolittle, the veterinarian who can actually talk to animals, sets sail on the high seas for new adventures! Accompanied by his young friend Tommy Stubbins and the beloved animals of his household -- Polynesia the parrot, Jip the dog, and Chee-Chee the monkey -- the good doctor is off to forbidding Spider Monkey Island to examine the rare jabizri beetle. But the mysterious island holds another, darker secret: The famous Indian naturalist, Long Arrow, has mysteriously disappeared -- and Doctor Dolittle urgently needs to speak with him.

Doctor Dolittle and his friends brave a shipwreck, find the floating island, and meet the incredible Great Glass Sea Snail -- the keeper of the greatest mystery of all. This is the most popular of the twelve Doctor Dolittle novels. The next has been carefully edited for modern readers by renowned children's book authors Patricia and Fredrick McKissack. This new edition, featuring color illustrations by best-selling artist Michael Hague, is sure to bring a whole new generation under the spell of Doctor Dolittle and his animal friends.

Reviews (42)

An Imaginative Adventure Through Time
Doc Dollitle is a very good book it has a total adventure backlot. I love his animals this story goes beyond the movie to further great adventures like what happens after he goes into the pink gient snail. I loved this book and I'm sure you will too. I recamend it for children eight and older to read. I read it in the sixth grade. Check out other great books like the BFG and a seperate peace.

I liked this Book because it was all out exciting.
I liked "The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle."because it was exciting and well written.Told by nine year old Tommy Stubins the story was amazing how Doctor Dolittle could comunicate with animals and people. This book is so good I couldn't put it down. Each chapter has a new problem or mystery so that it keeps you reading.Its great for all ages If you can read & understand the diologue.The charecters are so Determid to solve the Problem or mystery.Some parts are serious ,Some are funny,and some are exciting.I recommend you read "The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle." You'll like it I guarantee it.

sanitised edition
I do agree that books containing racist positions should not be given to children without a strong and fully aware comment. But I simply cannot stand to buy a sanitised version of a book without being aware of it. This is called censorship, and it gives me the creeps. As a parent, I have had enough real life opportunities to prove racism wrong to my children. So to realise that somebody has been cheating on me, trying to do my job so that I did not have to explain how society has evolved, how difficult it has been for minorities to be recognised and respected is just a fraud. this review is about the Harper collins Edition , edited by Patricia C. and Frederick L. McKissak, illustrated by Michael Hague.

I would like to recomend this book.
I would like to deffinitly recommend this book to anyone with a good reading level because I found this book very interesting and I happen to love animals. Dr. Doolitle is a naturalist who talks to animals and keeps a private zoo in his garden and plays the flute. Tommy Stubbins longs to join someone on a ship and go sailing, so Dr. Doolitle takes him in as an assistant to help him. On their adventure they encounter several stowaways on the boat and the doctor has a bullfight without killing the bulls. I would definitely recommend this book and it keeps you on the edge of your seat.

This is a very good book
I would like to recommend this book to anyone with a good reading level because I found this book very interesting and I happen to love animals. Dr. Doolitle is a naturalist who talks to animals and keeps a private zoo in his garden and plays the flute. Tommy Stubbins longs to join someone on a ship and go sailing, so Dr. Doolitle takes him in as an assistant to help him. On their adventure they encounter several stowaways on the boat and the doctor has a bullfight without killing the bulls. I would definitely recommend this book and it keeps you on the ... Read more

Reviews (10)

A classic that makes children think outside the box.
I grew up with Hugh Lofting's books and wanted my children to read them. As Dr. Dolittle learns to communicate with animals, we begin to think about feelings and habits of individuals very different from ourselves.

Dr. Dolittle did not fit in with many of the stuffier aspects of British society. Thus, he was a miserable failure as a human doctor. His animals recognized his caring spirit and taught him to become an outstanding animal doctor. The stories contain suspense and adventure but there is little explicit violence. The animal characters, Jip the dog, Gub Gub the pig, Polinesia the parrot each have their own personalities and become friends with the reader.

Hugh Lofting was an Englishman of the early 20th century. As such, he used some troubling phrases that might be considered racist. Much of this seems to have been deleted or modified in the current version of this book.

I wanted my children to read all of the other Dr. Dolittle books. Unfortunately most of them are out of print. Thank goodness,I was able to find a number of the other titles in the Amazon.com used book section.

The Story of Doctor Dolittle
The Story of Doctor Dolittle
By: Hugh Lofting
Reviewed by: R Bhatt
Period 6

This book is about the life of an ordinary doctor named John Dolittle. He is a doctor for people but later on becomes one for animals. Dr. Dolittle possesses one unusual gift. It is the ability to talk to animals. He helps many different animals. He journeys to Africa to treat a sickness that is killing many monkeys. There he has many adventures.
I really liked this book because it is all make believe and adventure. I really like adventure books. They are very exciting to read. They never let you get bored reading them. It is also funny in some parts of the story too. This makes you not want to stop.
I also like the characters. They come to life in this book. They also become a part of you when you are reading. My favorite character was Jip the dog. He was a main character and sometimes he is really funny. I also like Polynesia the parrot because she helps the doctor many times in the book.
My favorite part is when the Barbary pirates are stuck on the old sinking ship. That part is really funny and exciting to read. Ben Ali the leader wants to kill Dr. Dolittle but doesn't succeed. He and his pirates have to become birdseed farmers on the Canary island. This I like this part because the animals help doctor Dolittle out. They are very nice to him because he is their friend.

You may WANT the "adulterated" edition
As you read these reviews, be aware that the "non-PC" material in the original includes an African begging Dr. Dolittle to make him white, since being black makes him unattractive. While Lofting didn't mean to be hurtful and was simply a product of the world in which he lived, you may feel that you can do better for your children than to send them off into today's world with the notion that white people are more attractive and that black people all wish they were white. If nothing else, the fact that they identify Eddie Murphy with the good doctor may render the "unadulterated" version of the book quite strange to them!

A SUPER GREAT BOOK!
It was so neat how Dr. Doolittle was able to talk to animals! The push-me pull-yu is very funny because it has 2 heads. I loved the way the doctor figured out how to help all the monkeys! It was also cool how the animals helped the doctor too - like when Jip the dog helped figure out where the boy's uncle was.

I can't wait to read the next book (VOYAGES OF DOCTOR DOOLITTLE) and see the movie. I've only seen the one with Eddie Murphy so far and this is different!

(My mom loved reading this book with me too and she wants me to say that it's also lots of fun for grownups!)

Beware, this edition is adulterated
Dr. Doolittle fell afoul of the PC police, before they were so named. This edition has been adulterated to maintain political correctness and there is no indication of this unless you read the afterword. Great story, bad edition. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Doctor Dolittle--a 19th-century English physician--has never been one for worrying much. Even after his human patients desert him (when one too many sit on one of the doctor's unusual parlor pets), he manages to convert gracefully to animal medicine. Having mastered animal language along the way (with the help of his caustic yet amusing parrot, Polynesia), he has a good head start in his practice. Then, one cold, dark winter night, as the doctor and his pets sit around the fire, a message arrives, via sparrow, from Africa. A terrible epidemic has broken out among the monkeys, and Doctor Dolittle is the only one who can save them. The beneficent physician checks his money box--not a penny left. But the fate of Africa's ailing apes lays squarely on his shoulders.

And so begins the delightful, whimsical adventures that are still enthralling readers three quarters of a century after their original 1920 publication. Hugh Lofting, winner of the 1923 Newbery Medal for The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle, has more than a knack for storytelling. His ability to imbue in his characters--human and animal--distinct, unique personalities is remarkable, and his respect for the rights of all who share the planet shines throughout. (Ages 9 to 12) --Emilie Coulter ... Read more

Reviews (15)

Great read-aloud selection
I read this book to my two children, ages 7 and 3. Both children were completely mesmerized and could hardly wait for the next day's installment. A bit of editing was necessary while reading to tone down certain parts, especially those dealing with the pirates (who threatened to eat poor Gub-Gub the pig) and the leaving-behind of some of their favorite animal characters, Polynesia the parrot and Chee-Chee the monkey. The illustrations were especially well-received, and could easily be presented at the appropriate points in the story to illustrate exactly what was being read. All in all, we thoroughly enjoyed this book and are looking forward to purchasing the sequel, which is the one I remember from my own childhood, _The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle_.

THE STORY OF DOCTOR DOOLITTLE
I bought this for my son for his eighth birthday, he loves it so much that he is reading it to himself. This is the first book that he has ever carried around with him, actually reading while he is walking around. This was the first chapter book that my older son read. We had barrowed a paperback edition from a friend. I am so glad that I bought this edition, it's a great story, and the illustrations are wonderful! My younger son got a bike, game cube,and game boy games, for his birthday. But, this book is favorite gift... I think that says it all!

The Best Doctor Ever
The book The Story of Doctor Dolittle by Hugh Lofting is a non-fictional chapter book. It has adventure, excitement, and a guy who really likes animals. It has excitement of every sort. So read on to find out more about The Story of Doctor Dolittle by Hugh Lofting.

An amazing Doctor travels off to the far lands of Africa to cure the sick monkeys. Nobody else can figure out what is wrong, but the Doctor has learned the animal languages and can speak to the animals. If he cures the monkeys it will be up to you to find out. On his journey into the jungles and out of the jungles of Africa he will encounter many things that will hold him back. He will also say good-bye to some of his beloved animals.

I think this book is more aimed for children in the 4th, 5th, and 6th grades but I am sure anybody would enjoy it. The book is not like the movie Doctor Dolittle, so you won't be reading something you already know about. So go and get The Story of Doctor Dolittle. I promise you will enjoy it.

THE BEST BOOK
I've read this book about a 100 times. The first time, my grandpa read it to me when I was about 5. My grandpa read it out of his book that he got when he was little. Now he past it down to me. I loved and love this book, all those grandpas out there read it to your grandkids.Girl or boy, young or old this is a really good for everyone.

The Adventures of Doctor Domuch
I would recommend this book to anyone who asked me for a book. It is action packed, funny,but most of all it is interesting. When I read it I felt like the narrator. The snail was my favorite character. The book is very long but when you get into it, you can't stop reading it. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Wonderful story
Unlike the other Dolittle books, which center around the doctor himself, this book is the story of Pippinella, a green canary, as told to the doctor by Pip herself. It is an excellent story, full of all the grand elements of good story-telling. However, I personally enjoy the books which focus on the doctor's adventures, my favorite being "Voyages of Doctor Dolittle."

ahhhh....boring!!!
This book was so stupid . Why couldn't the bird have been purple. I mean he thinks the bird is his friend but the bird like totally hates him. When was the last time this guy took a shower. He smells really bad.

Excellent and captivating writing. Never a dull moment.
I read this book with my ten and six year old sons. We wanted to read more of Doctor Dolittle's adventures after reading "The Story of Doctor Dolittle", and "The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle". We can't get enough of these books. Pipinella is a green canary purchased by Doctor Dolittle. Doctor Dolittle wants to write a biograpy of her life. She has very interesting stories to tell her Dolittle family. She would like to know what became of her friend "the window washer". You'll never guess his true identity. Doctor Dolittle and his little family set out to help their new found friend. Read it and find out? Why isn't this wonderful children's book in print? Why not re-release it?

The doctor learns about Pippenella .
Doctor Dolittle wants to do a biography on Pippinella, the green canary. She tells him (in a lot more detail than I am saying) about how she was born in an aviary, bought by an inn owner, then a castle owner, then Aunt Rosie, and finally by a window cleaner. The cleaner had dissapeared one day. What happened? Read and find out. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Wonderful
This is a wonderful book. If you can still find it because it is out of print now,Read it. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Circus One of Dolittle's Best
The Story of Doctor Dolittle (which began this series) is unfortunately somewhat racist, rather baldly written, but engaging and inventive. The Circus of Doctor Dolittle, a later book in the series, is a vast improvement, keeping all the charm of the original but omitting the flaws.

The plot is more concentrated and has more emotional weight, as Doctor Dolittle becomes entangled with a Circus and attempts to free a performing seal. Their hilarious escape in disguise is one of the most charming incidents in children's fiction.

Really a delightful book, lighthearted, but emotionally involving.

Note: a 3 star ranking from me is actually pretty good; I reserve 4 stars for tremendously good works, and 5 only for the rare few that are or ought to be classic; unfortunately most books published are 2 or less.

DOCTOR DOLITTLE'S CIRCUS
Hilarious fourth Dolittle story has the good-natured vet once again joining Blossom's Mammoth circus to exhibit a freak animal called the pushmi-pullyu,and while doing so,rescues a seal from captivity.Great fast-paced children's writing, though it may not have some your favorite characters from the first three books.Kids will love the ending.It is hard to understand why such a good book should be out of print. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Fantabulous! Super duper!
Oh the JOY of reading Doctor Dolittle books! This is a great one. How can it be no publisher(s) have reprinted all the books including the zoo, the moon, the garden, the post office, puddleby adventures etc.?? Are they mad? These books are timeless stories that appeal to animal lovers everywhere!

Possibly the best Dolittle Book
Ahh, the feelings of nostalgia I get when I think of Dr. Dolittle, the man who could talk to the animals. In the fifth grade all I did was read Dr. Dolittle books. My school library only had the Story of Dr. Dolittle, Dr. Dolittle's Voyages, Dr. Dolittle's Post Office, and Doctor Dolittle's Circus, and I always had one of them checked out. Consequently, I got sick of them. Then came summer vacation, and my downtown public library had Dr. Dolittle's Caravan. Well, I read it and really got into it. The story ties in with both the aforementioned Dr. Dolittle's Circus as well as Dr. Dolittle and the Green Canary (to the point that read Green Canary borders on redundancy, but I digress). Herein Dr. Dolittle discovers the canary with her sweet songs and bittersweet life's story. My favorite part occurs where the good doctor meets Paganini, the infamous violinist. I liked the "flirting with historical fiction" Lofting tosses our direction. Chronologically, this story MUST take place before 1839, the year the Dr. meets Tommy Stubbins; Paganini died in 1837, I believe, so the timeline for this novel would be the mid-1830s (assuming Dr. Dolittle was taught the language of animals around 1830). I hope this book goes back in print soon. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

This children's book has it all
There will never be another set of books that excites, instructs, and entertains children as ably as this series does.

Dr. Dolittle is a somewhat absentminded amateur naturalist who has, by dint of a lifelong academic pursuit, discovered how to speak the language of the animals. Or some of them, anyhow; all of the books are suffused with the good Doctor's attempts to add another species or several to his list of languages.

This particular book is, like others in the series, deliciously uneven, as it presents a series of canine anecdotes before it bothers settling into the main plot. Every night dogs from all around come to hear each other speak, and to tell their life stories, each of which is an amusing short story in its own right.

Then the book moves on to the subject at hand, which involves Dolittle's attempts to learn the language of insects. Frankly, some of the other animals don't believe that anything as small and dumb as an insect could even have a language, but Dolittle soon proves them wrong. And just in time, too, because at some point, an enormous moth (the size of a small house) lands in the garden, and Dolittle feels sure that it is trying to communicate some great need.

Some of the language in the book is somewhat antiquated, but the story is so strong that it rises above that problem. The books succeed for several reasons, the most important of which is probably the immensely entertaining idea that people can learn to talk to animals, and that animals have their own societies that are very similar to human societies. The key to this concept is that Dr. Dolittle has learned how to speak with animals; there is no magic amulet or technological wizardry that has given him this power. Indeed, all of the wonders of the book are seen with a naturalists eye, and readers are sure to be inculcated with an appreciation of the value of the scientific process.

Hugh Lofting has tapped into an inexhaustible reservoir of stories by making us see the world around us in a slightly different light; he hasn't created a world of his own so much as told the stories of our world in a new way.

Every child should read this series, and this book in particular is a very exciting volume, setting the stage for the next volume.

not the best in the series but sets up the last two books
this is definitely one of the slower doctor dolittle books. the beginning is a dog biography of professor quetch, and then there's a large section where the doctor learns insect language and several types of insects tell stories. the last section, where the doctor is sent a messenger from the moon, leads directly into doctor dolittle in the moon and doctor dolittle's return, the last two books in the series.
... Read more

Reviews (2)

A fantasy classic and well ahead of its time
The movie musical version of "Doctor Dolittle" was on cable this weekend, and after cringing a bit at Rex Harrison's portrayal of the Doctor (about as faithful to the book as Julie Andrews was to P.L. Travers'soriginal Mary Poppins), I pulled down several of my Hugh Lofting classicsto remember why I loved these books so much. You probably know the generalstory: the adventures of an English animal doctor who learns the languageof the animals. All of these books are great (start with "The Voyagesof Doctor Dolittle" or "The Story of Doctor Dolittle") but"Doctor Dolittle in the Moon" was always my favorite as a kid,and I'm please to say it holds up extraordinarily well reading it in mylate thirties! The adventure is continued in part from the previous book,"Doctor Dolittle's Garden," but you don't have to read that bookat all to get right into the action: the good doctor is already on his wayto the moon, on the back of a giant moth (it's not as silly as it sounds),along with faithful companions the parrot Polynesia and the monkeyChim-Chim--plus a stowaway, the Doctor's protégé and apprentice, TommyStubbins. They discover on the moon's dark side a fantastic world ofgiant--and talking--plants, weird creatures, and the mythical,millenniums-old Man in the Moon. I'm not *at all* doing justice tothis--the setting is moody, spooky, even a little chilling, and alwaysexciting--in my mind, no juvenile author has portrayed an alien world sowell until Eleanor Cameron's "Mushroom Planet" books. Itastonishes me how far ahead of his time Lofting was; I had to glance at thecopyright page and actually check that it was published in 1928. I don'tmean that he was prescient in what the moon is actually like (Lofting'smoon is a weird but lush, living landscape), but his themes and ideas inthis book were far beyond most of the books I read as a kid, and must havebeen revolutionary for juvenile lit in 1928: the ideas of evolution, theextraordinarily precarious balance of nature (and how a man who can talk tothe animals and plants can help bring justice and fairness to theirsociety), and even a reflection by the Doctor on man's inhumanity toman--and why he prefers the company of animals. The science is fantasticbut believable: Lofting's imaginative speculation on the low atmosphere andgravity of the moon, and how the plants and animals have evolved tocompensate, is one of the highlights. This book entertained and thrilled meas a kid, and I'm pleased to say it did so as an adult as well. Sadly, it'scurrently out of print. I can definitely see fans of the Harry Potteradventures also enjoying Doctor Dolittle...it's time for a savvy publisher tomake the entire series available again for a new generation. (And theMushroom Planet books by Eleanor Cameron, too, while you're at it!)

Dr. Dolittle takes his practice to the moon!
This classic book by Hugh Lofting tells the tale of Dr. Dolittle, his companion Stubbins, his parrot Polynesia, and monkey Chee Chee as they arrive on the moon by way of a giant moth.Discoveries and adventuresawait them as they travel throughout this new world and try to find out whythey were brought the moon.The book climaxes when Dr. Dolittle andcompany get a chance to meet the Man in the Moon!The book leaves youhanging at the end and ready to buy the next book in the series! ... Read more

Book Description

Doctor John Dolittle loves animals. He loves them so much that his home and office overflow with animals of every description. When Polynesia the parrot teaches him the language of the animals, Doctor Dolittle becomes a world-famous doctor, traveling even as far away as Africa to help his friends. This edition of the beloved children's classic contains black-and-white illustrations by Michael Hague and has been edited by award-winning authors Patricia and Fredrick McKissack for modern audiences.

Reviews (1)

A good starting place
This is a good selection to start reading about the good doctor, but the complete books are so much better ... Read more

Download Description

There are some of us now reaching middle age who discover themselves to be lamenting the past in one respect if in none other, that there are no books written now for children comparable with those of thirty years ago.I say written FOR children because the new psychological business of writing ABOUT them as though they were small pills or hatched in some especially scientific method is extremely popular today. ... Read more