Customer Reviews

Doctor Dolittle's Circus

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

In the _Dr. Dolittle_ books, Lofting has created a series with no weak links, and this entry, in which circumstances force Dr. Dolittle to take over the management of a traveling circus, is as entertaining as could be.

Dolittle needs to raise some money to send a dear friend back to his African jungle home, and he reluctantly agrees to participate in a circus in order to raise the money. The ordinarily mild-mannered Doctor becomes righteously indignant when he sees the maltreatment of the circus animals by the ringmaster, an unsavory Mr. Blossom. When Blossom steals away into the night with everyone's money, the good doctor takes on the challenge of running the circus, the Dolittle way. Lofting has fun showing us the details of a utopian traveling circus from the animal's point of view.

By unveiling the cruelty that circus animals endure, Lofting shines a spotlight on a problem that still exists (to a lesser extent) today. At the time that this book was published, circus conditions were truly barbaric, and Lofting has done a great public service without sacrificing a smidgen of the wit and charm that his books are known for.

The Doctor Dolittle books are a magic blend of entertainment, fantasy, morality, and scientific method. Children who are exposed to these elements will be the better for it. And the books are so good that getting the entire series will become a top priority.

I recommend this book as highly as any children's book out there.

As a side note, please don't take the mediocre Eddie Murphy movies as indicative of this series. They have nothing to do with these fine books.

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_ (1924) is the fourth book in the series about the great doctor who talks to the animals. The earlier books in the series are _The Story of Doctor Dolittle_ (1920), _The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle_ (1922), and _Doctor Dolittle's Post Office_ (1923).

The current novel opens with a familiar scene. The doctor and his companions are back home at Puddleby-on-the-Marsh from their travels. But they need money to pay off their debts. Doctor Dolittle has a plan. Why don't the animals form a circus, using the pushmi-pullyu as their main sideshow attraction?

Of course, things don't go strictly according to plan. John Dolittle's snooty sister Sarah interferes, a crooked ringmaster doublecrosses, a highwayman engages in skulduggery, and assorted animals have all kinds of ailments at inconvenient times.

But fortunately, the good doctor gets assistance from Matthew Mugg, the cats-meat-man and Hercules, the strong man. Dab-Dab the duck, Too-Too the owl, Gub-Gub the pig, Sophie the Seal, and several blacksnakes are also available to give help. Eventually, after much trial and error, we find that rarest of circuses-- a place of good acts where animals are treated well. Just like people, in fact.

Perhaps this is an appropriate spot to elaborate on my artistic bias. There are many versions of the Doctor Dolittle books about nowadays, with many different artistic interpretations. But I much prefer the originals by Hugh Lofting himself (available in the Dell-Yearling paperbacks). Yes, they are stiff and primitive. But they have a kind of gentle charm about them that conveys why animals and country people alike admire Doctor Dolittle-- even if snobs and aristocrats do not.

Forget about the Eddie Murphy movies - they don't convey the charm and the emotion of the books. This is a particularly good childrens' book, as it has Dr Dolittle becoming involved (against his better judgement) with a circus. The circus intends to exhibit the exoctic pushmi-pullyu, along with other unusual animals. The story of how Dr Dolittle becomes entangled in this mess and manages to rescue a seal is a classic.
You can read this to your kids instead of renting the movie. Yeah, I like Eddie Murphy, too, but he did not convey an emotional connection to the animals.
So get this and read this to your kids - or read it for yourself. It's a great book and a fun read.