The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle [Paperback]

Hugh Lofting (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 10 and up | Grade Level: 5 and up | Series: Doctor Dolittle

Doctor Dolittle heads for the high seas in perhaps the most amazing adventure ever experienced by man or animal.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Doctor Dolittle heads for the high seas in perhaps the most amazing adventure ever experienced by man or animal. Told by nine-and-a-half-year-old Tommy Stubbins, crewman and future naturalist, the voyages of Doctor Dolittle and his company lead them to Spidermonkey Island. Along with his faithful friends, Polynesia the parrot and Chee-Chee the monkey, Doctor Dolittle survives a perilous shipwreck and lands on the mysterious floating island. There he meets the wondrous Great Glass See Snail who holds the key to the greates mystery of all.

From the Inside Flap

Doctor Dolittle heads for the high seas in perhaps the most amazing adventure ever experienced by man or animal. Told by nine-and-a-half-year-old Tommy Stubbins, crewman and future naturalist, the voyages of Doctor Dolittle and his company lead them to Spidermonkey Island. Along with his faithful friends, Polynesia the parrot and Chee-Chee the monkey, Doctor Dolittle survives a perilous shipwreck and lands on the mysterious floating island. There he meets the wondrous Great Glass See Snail who holds the key to the greates mystery of all.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Yearling (May 1, 1988)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0440400023
• ISBN-13: 978-0440400028
• Product Dimensions: 5.3 x 0.8 x 7.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (31 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #113,071 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

43 of 45 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Very Good Book, July 31, 2002

By 

Mark Pollock "educator" (Davis, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle (Paperback)

It's hard to beat this book for all-out imaginative craziness. Oddly enough, other than talking animals, there is very little fantasy in this book, rather, Lofting chose to make Dr. Dolittle and his surroundings a calm place, a place where the animals talk to him, a place where adventures happen, but where there is never any brutal violence, unlike the adventures of Alice in Wonderland or Dorothy in OZ (both of which I like, BTW). What is really nice is that Lofting was able to make this formula WORK!

This edition, pink covers with a credit to Christopher Lofting, has been edited from it's original issue to remove some now offensive racial stereotypes and illustrations. I'm glad to say that, while I generally do not support this type of editing, in this case it was well done and did not subtract from the entertainment value of the book.

Note: The original Dr. Doolittle books have almost nothing in common with the Eddie Murphy movies, other than talking animals. Don't get them confused!

Enjoy!

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars So much better than the Story of Mankind, March 9, 2001

By 

Markus A. Wolf "captcrouton" (Michigan, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle (Paperback)

This is the second Newbery Award winner. In an effort to read all the Newbery books in order, I picked this up at my local library. I read this book as a child and it held me captive. Now (age 30) I finished it in two nights instead of one, but that's because I'm a "responsible" adult. I'm going to stop and peruse the rest of the Dr Dolittle books. This is a wild ride of adventure that's so much fun you'll willingly suspend belief that shellfish can talk. My favorite character is Bumpo because he's so well-educated. You'll have to read it as an adult to really appreciate that. Sorry kids.

23 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Warning re: older printings of this book, May 23, 2001

By 

SAI (Phoenix, AZ United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle (Paperback)

I read all the Dr. Dolittle books as a child and LOVED them-- I was captivated by the premise of being able to talk to animals as well as by the exciting adventures. However, I was not prepared for what I found in <The Voyages of Dr. Dolittle> (1951 printing) as I was reading it to my son the other night. In Chapter 5 (p. 36), Polynesia the parrot is catching Dr. Dolittle up on the goings-on back in Africa. She tells him that one of the African kings they know has sent his son to study at Oxford. She further comments that the Prince didn't want to go, fearing that he would be eaten by white cannibals. She then states, "You know what those niggers are--that ignorant!" Judging by the fact that this is not mentioned in the other reviews that I read on this site, I imagine this troubling line has been excised from more recent printings (such as those available on Amazon.com). I suggest that you make sure you purchase a more recent printing of this book, particularly if a child is going to be reading it on his/her own. As I continue reading the book to my son it will be interesting to note whether or not the portrayal of black characters in the book will be problematic as well . . . amz