In this first book in the series, Doctor Dolittle discovers that he can talk to the animals--Jip the dog, Dab Dab the duck, Polynesia the parrot.
The Story of Doctor Dolittle (Dover Children's Classics)
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"Any child who is not given the opportunity to make the acquaintance of this rotund, kindly, and enthusiastic doctor/naturalist and all of his animal friends will miss out on something important."-- Jane Goodall
From the Publisher
In this first book in the series, Doctor Dolittle discovers that he can talk to the animals--Jip the dog, Dab Dab the duck, Polynesia the parrot.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
62 of 65 people found the following review helpful
By BillyBobJoe
Format:Hardcover
I am a huge fan of the original Hugh Lofting Dr. Dolittle and not this shallow abridged version. A good part of the story is cut and the history is mutilated. The illustrations are obviously not complete Hugh Loftings even though they still bear his name. Many of his illustrations have been cut and pasted blending them with some weird Victorian style prints. The result is a jumbled mishmash. As a kid, I'm offended that they would take a wonderful piece of literature and trample it with political correctness jargon. There are things said in the original version that I understand would not be appropriate today. But it was a part or our history. And it gives a great opportunity for discussions with parents. As for this story, what is left? The character depth is ruined. The vocabulary is rudimentary. Utter trash. Don't waste your time. Original unabridged or nothing.
17 of 19 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
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.
10 of 11 people found the following review helpful
By Lisa Mapa
Format:Paperback
Dr. Dolittle is definitely a must-read for people of all ages, for children and for those who are young-at-heart. It is the story of a generous old man who seems capable of doing anything! All he wants to do is help, and he doesn't care if he loses all his money just to save monkeys in Africa from an epidemic. But the best thing about Dr. Dolittle is that he can talk to animals -- and this is probably every child's dream. And so read this when you're very young, read this to your children, and read this when you've forgotten what it is to be a kid. Because the quaint British way in which the story is told will keep you amused, while the crazy adventures of Dr. Dolittle and his conversations with his animal friends will keep your imagination rolling!
Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
He Doesn't Just Talk to the Animals, He Talks to Kids.
A Hannukah present for my 9-year old grand daughter. I love the Dr when I was that age and hoped that she would too. She devoured it. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Jack Kaufman
5.0 out of 5 stars
a doctor with a healing soul
This is my favorite book from my childhood. I checked it out from the school library so many times that my grandmother bought the book from the library, and the library ordered... Read more
Published 24 months ago by Virginia Campbell
5.0 out of 5 stars
great story
In great condition--read it to the kids a couple of times each year. Even my older ones loves it.
Published on September 18, 2010 by Mike
5.0 out of 5 stars
pleased customer
Purchased book for granddaughter who was in the cast of a local production of "Dr. Dolittle". She wanted to know the original story before joining the cast.
Published on August 14, 2010 by E. May
5.0 out of 5 stars
If I Could Talk
Too many great books are being bypassed these days. The adventures of this delightful person who discovered his ability to animal-speak give young readers the opportunity to dream... Read more
Published on May 7, 2010 by Gary Powell
2.0 out of 5 stars
Kindle edition is poorly editted
The story is cute, but the kindle version of this book has numerous errors. For example, the first sentence of the fifth chapter reads "Now, for six whole weeks they werit sailing... Read more
Published on December 4, 2009 by Rebecca Collins
5.0 out of 5 stars
So Pleased
This was a favorite story from my childhood! I was so thrilled to receive a copy in the mail for my kids! The book is in great condition, as promised.
Published on November 8, 2009 by Scarlett
5.0 out of 5 stars
My son enjoyed it too well....
he wanted to read it again!!! We as parents also loved this beautiful story. Now my son wants more Doctor Dolittle books!!!
Published on July 10, 2009 by N. Jacob
5.0 out of 5 stars
Brisk, Brief, and to the Point
And what does Hugh Lofting's _The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle_ (1920) have to do with reviews that are usually science fictional? A lot. Read more
Published on February 1, 2008 by Paul Camp
4.0 out of 5 stars
Free SF Reader
A book designed for young kids, in general.
A doctor discovers how to talk to his animals, thanks to his rather intelligent parrot. Read more
A doctor discovers how to talk to his animals, thanks to his rather intelligent parrot. Read more
Published on September 3, 2007 by Blue Tyson
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 4
books:
40
books
cite this book:
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- Doctor Dolittle: A Treasury by Hugh Lofting in Back Matter (1), Back Matter (2), and Back Matter (3)
- Doctor Dolittle: A Treasury by Hugh Lofting in Back Matter
- The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle by Hugh Lofting in Front Matter
- Black Sea (Wonders of the World) by Corinne J. Naden on page 33
- Empire's Children: Empire and Imperialism in Classic British Children's Books (Children's Literature and Culture) by M. Daphne Kutzer on 4 pages
- The Story of Doctor Dolittle (Books of Wonder) by Hugh Lofting on 4 pages
- The Presence of the Past in Children's Literature (Contributions to the Study of World Literature) by Ann Lucas on page 92, page 95, and page 97
- 101 Read-Aloud Classics: Ten-Minute Readings from the World's Best-Loved Children's Books by Pamela Horn on page 62, page 63, and page 65
- The Voyages of Doctor Doolittle (Signet Classics) by Hugh Lofting in Front Matter (1), Front Matter (2), and Front Matter (3)
See all 40 books citing this book
