The Story of Doctor Dolittle (Yearling Book) (Paperback)

~ (Author) "ONCE upon a time, many years ago-when our grandfathers were little children-there was a doctor, and his name was Dolittle-John Dolittle, M.D. "M.D." means that..." (more)
Key Phrases: rarest animal, animal doctor, red sails, John Dolittle, Ben Ali, Prince Bumpo (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"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 -- Review

Review

"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

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: Yearling; later printing edition (December 15, 1968)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0440483077
• ISBN-13: 978-0440483076
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 5.1 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #164,662 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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  #6 in	Books > Children's Books > Series > Classics > Doctor Dolittle
  #6 in	Books > Children's Books > Authors & Illustrators, A-Z > ( L ) > Lofting, Hugh

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Deceptive and Shallow "Politically Correct" Version, February 2, 2007

By	BillyBobJoe "Keep Reading Challenging" (Dallas, Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Story of Doctor Dolittle (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.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A classic that makes children think outside the box., May 4, 2002

By	Carol Watkins "Psychiatrist" (Baltimore, MD United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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:

5.0 out of 5 stars a classic for all ages, March 13, 2000

By	Lisa Mapa (the Philippines) - See all my reviews

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!