Doctor Dolittle: A Treasury

by Hugh Lofting

Describes the adventures of John Doolittle, the man who could talk to the animals

Genres: Fiction, Classics, Young Adult, Childrens

335 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 1967

About the author

Hugh Lofting was a British author, trained as a civil engineer, who created the character of Doctor Dolittle — one of the classics of children's literature.

Lofting was born in Maidenhead, England, to English and Irish parents. His early education was at Mount St Mary's College in Sheffield, after which he went to the United States, completing a degree in civil engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

He traveled widely as a civil engineer before enlisting in the Irish Guards to serve in World War I. Not wishing to write to his children of the brutality of the war, he wrote imaginative letters that were the foundation of the successful Doctor Dolittle novels for children. Seriously wounded in the war, he moved with his family to Connecticut in the United States. Lofting was married three times and had three children, one of whom, his son Christopher, is the executor of his literary estate.

"For years it was a constant source of shock to me to find my writings amongst 'juveniles,'" Lofting reported. "It does not bother me any more now, but I still feel there should be a category of 'seniles' to offset the epithet."

Doctor Dolittle
Hugh Lofting's doctor from Puddleby-on-the-Marsh who could speak to animals 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, (in and around the 1840s, according to a date given in The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle). The Story of Doctor Dolittle: Being the History of His Peculiar Life at Home and Astonishing Adventures in Foreign Parts Never Before Printed (1920) began the series and won the Lewis Carroll Shelf Award in 1958.The sequel, The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle (1922), won Lofting the prestigious Newbery Medal. Eight more books followed, and after Lofting's death two more volumes, composed of short unpublished pieces, appeared. The series has been adapted for film and television many times, for stage twice, and for radio.
Other Works for Children
The Story of Mrs Tubbs (1923) and Tommy, Tilly, and Mrs. Tubbs (1936) are picture books aimed at a younger audience than the Doctor Dolittle books. They concern the titular old woman, her pets (with whom she can speak) and the animals who help her out of trouble.

Porridge Poetry (1924) is the only non-Dolittle work by Lofting still in print. It is a lighthearted, colorfully illustrated book of poems for children.

Noisy Nora (1929) is a cautionary tale about a girl who is a noisy eater. The book is printed as if hand-written, and the many illustrations often merge with the text.

The Twilight of Magic (1930) is aimed at older readers. It is set in an age when magic is dying and science is beginning. This work is the only one of Lofting's books to be illustrated by another person (Lois Lenski).
Victory for the Slain
Victory for the Slain (1942) is Lofting's only work for adults, a single long poem in seven parts about the futility of war; the refrain "In war the only victors are the slain" permeates the poem. It was published only in the United Kingdom.

Reviews

[janice l. dimond · Rating 3 out of 5]

I remember reading this as a child. It stirred my imagination to think about the pushmi pullyu. But, mostly, I loved the great glass sea-snail! I used to imagine it coming to get me and going on long adventures in it.
I HATED what Eddie Murphy did to this lovely character.
However, reading it as an adult made me realize that it isn't that well written. The stories jump all over the place. There is really very little development of characters and it seems to wander emotionless through the book.
I guess you can never go back. I will still always remember how it stirred my little mind to believing that I could talk to my pets as I grew up.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 This book is very entertaining and contains lessons that everyone needs to learn. One example of an important lesson that is repeated throughout the story is to always be kind to others no matter what they look like or what other people say about them. This is one book that I will definitely be reading to my future children one day. It's no wonder why this story has become a classic.

[Elia · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book that has had many adaptations and movies, I loved going back with my children to the beginning of Doctor Dolittle's adventures. The author has a wonderful way to describing scenes and giving animals personalities we imagine they must have.

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was funny. It had animals. They were traveling all over the world. He had a circus (LPH 7 yrs old).

[Leah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Let's call it 3.5 stars, because I liked some stories infinitely more than others. Naturally, these were some of my favorite stories as a child. I was excited to re-read them since I hadn't looked at them again since I was about seven. Dr. Dolittle had my dream job, what amounted to a veterinarian who could talk to animals. I thought it was the coolest thing ever. Several of the stories delivered on that initial childhood excitement, but most of them didn't. I think my problem was that I expected more doctoring and less adventuring, though I can see why a children's book author would focus on excitement and action instead of medicine and science. The stories were cute and endearing, even if I did get continually confused with the hyphenated, alliterative names of companions that I couldn't keep straight without referring back to earlier stories. Definite recommendation for kids who are into animals and adventure.

[Terrence · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this to my children, as my mother had read it to me as a boy. The fantastic adventures of Doctor Dolittle are an exciting and humorous way to share the joys of reading with children.

[Dove · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book and I would read it again. Its fun and made me laugh, also the book is well written. I had never read Doctor Dolittle before and my mom had it on a shelf in her room and told me to read it.

[Freder · Rating 4 out of 5]

The only reason this doesn't get a higher rating is that many of the stories are abridged or excerpted. Still, 'tis a lot of Dr. Dolittle wonderfulness between two covers. My copy is slipcased.

[Katy · Rating 5 out of 5]

These books were my favorites as a young girl. I loved animals (still do) and wanted to be able to talk to my pets so badly. This is probably why I wanted to be a vet from age 8 to about 18!