Other editions of book The Story of Doctor Dolittle

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.

No one loves and understands animals like the eccentric 19th century physician, Dr. Dolittle - who masters animal language with the help of Polynesia the parrot. After his human patients desert him, the kind-hearted doctor finds his calling in practicing animal medicine and his fame spreads far and wide.When a terrible epidemic breaks out among monkeys in Africa, Dr. Dolittle sets out to save them, accompanied by some of his favorite pets. Thus begins the amusing, whimsical adventures of Dr. Dolittle and the animal kingdom.Hugh Lofting, winner of the 1923 Newbery Medal for The Voyages of Dr. Dolittle, has a gifted knack for imbuing unique, distinct personalities in his characters - human and animal alike.

Doctor John Dolittle is the central character of a series of children's books by Hugh Lofting starting with the 1920 The Story of Doctor Dolittle. He is a doctor who shuns human patients in favour of animals, with whom he can speak in their own languages. He later becomes a naturalist, using his abilities to speak with animals to better understand nature and the history of the world. Doctor Dolittle first saw light in the author's illustrated letters to children, written from the trenches during World War I when actual news, he later said, was either too horrible or too dull. The stories are set in early Victorian England, where Doctor John Dolittle lives in the fictional village of Puddleby-on-the-Marsh in the West Country. Doctor Dolittle has a few close human friends, including Tommy Stubbins and Matthew Mugg, the Cats'-Meat Man. The animal team includes Polynesia (a parrot), Gub-Gub (a pig), Jip (a dog), Dab-Dab (a duck), Chee-Chee (a monkey), Too-Too (an owl), the Pushmi-pullyu, and a White Mouse later named simply "Whitey".

The Story of Doctor Dolittle is one of the most delightfully imaginative stories in children's literature, featuring the well-loved and eccentric doctor who learns to talk to animals. Unlike most doctors, Doctor Dolittle doesn't treat humans; he treats animals. His house in Puddleby-on-the-Marsh is full of an eclectic mix of creatures, from Polynesia the parrot to Gub-Gub the pig. And in that house something amazing happens—the doctor learns how to communicate with his animals! Doctor Dolittle's soon learns that the monkeys in Africa have become inflicted with a terrible disease, so with a team of trusty creatures by his side the kind-hearted doctor sets off on an action-packed adventure to save them. This beautiful paperback edition is illustrated with original line drawings from Hugh Lofting himself.

John Dolittle was not your average doctor. He was known as a quiet, capable physician who lived a simple life in a simple house with his sister. His true love was for animals. He even kept a menagerie of wildlife in his very home, which ended up scaring away his two-legged human clientele. But after his parrot, Polynesia, teaches him the secret to speaking with animals, Dolittle finds a new calling as a veterinarian. He uses his gift to understand, help, and heal the furred and feathered of the world.