The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle (Dover Children's Classics) - Softcover

Lofting, Hugh

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0486434915 ISBN 13: 9780486434919

Publisher: Dover Publications, 2004

Synopsis

Together with Jip the Dog, Polynesia the Parrot, and 9-year-old Tommy Stubbins, the good doctor sets off in search of a missing colleague. This Newbery Medal–winning adventure recounts the hunt for Long Arrow, the world's greatest naturalist, in treks that range from the Mediterranean and South America to the bottom of the sea. Thanks to the doctor's gift for conversing with animals, the travelers find a solution to every challenge, including a curious encounter with a sea monster and a shipwreck on a mysterious island. "Any child who is not given the opportunity to [meet Doctor Dolittle] and all of his animal friends will miss out on something important." — Jane Goodall, wildlife biologist and author

About this title

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.

About the Author:

Hugh John Lofting was born on January 14, 1886 in Maidenhead, Berkshire, England, one of six children. He attended Mt. St. Mary’s College in Sheffield, England, then completed a degree in civil engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Lofting fought in World War I, in the Irish Guards and was seriously wounded, ending up in Connecticut. While he was away in the war. instead of writing about the horrific scenes he was witnessing, he would write fanciful stories back home to his children. Those letters would eventually form the basis for more than a dozen “Doctor Dolittle” stories, which were written between 1920 and 1952. The second book in the series, “The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle,” won the second-ever Newbery Award. Hugh was married to Flora Small in 1912 and settled in New York and had two children, but she died in 1927. He married Katherine Harrower in 1928, but she died the same year. He was married a third time in 1935 to Josephine Fricker with whom he had a son. After that, the family moved to California. Lofting died on September 26, 1947, in Topanga, California at the age of 61. He is buried in Killingsworth, Connecticut.

About this edition

• Publisher: Dover Publications
• Publication date: 2004
• ISBN 10: 0486434915
• ISBN 13: 9780486434919
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 224