The Story of Doctor Dolittle

Hugh Lofting, 1920

Children's classics

An animal-loving doctor discovers a new kind of practice through learning animal language.

Read the book Contents

Length: 21 chapters
Reading time: About 1 hr 44 min
Words: 24,687

About the book

John Dolittle is well known in Puddleby-on-the-Marsh, where dogs and children follow him through the streets. His interest in animals points towards a different medical career, especially when the possibility of understanding their speech becomes part of the conversation.

Lofting builds the fantasy from a simple question about communication: what could a doctor learn if his patients could explain themselves? The direct storytelling gives household animals distinct voices and interests. Practical concerns about work and money sit beside the impossible premise, helping turn an unusual home into the starting point for travel and adventure.

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Children's classics

This edition

Text from Standard Ebooks, who proofread and typeset it and dedicate their edition to the public domain. Hugh Lofting died more than 70 years ago, so the work is out of copyright in the UK. Includes the original dedication.