The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle

Written by Hugh Lofting

Narrated by William Sutherland

The good Doctor Dolittle, accompanied by his animal friends, sets sail once again on an amazing voyage. The jolly party meets with more adventures than they had anticipated, including surviving a shipwreck, exploring a floating island and journeying undersea with the Great Glass Sea-snail.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Blackstone Audio
• Release date: Jan 1, 2006
• ISBN: 9780786118588

Hugh Lofting

Hugh Lofting was born in Maidenhead in 1886. He studied engineering in London and America and his work as a civil engineer took him all over the world. He interrupted his career to enlist in the army and fight in the First World War. Wanting to shield his children from the horrors of combat, including the fate of horses on the battlefield, he wrote to them instead about a kindly doctor who could talk to animals. After the war he settled with his family in Connecticut and it was from there that he published his Doctor Dolittle books. The Story of Doctor Dolittle was published in 1920, followed by twelve more in the series. The highly acclaimed author died in 1947.

Reviews for The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle

[pmaranci_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A classic, which unfortunately is all-to-often censored for completely idiotic reasons. The first in a series, my son loved it so much that we've continued with the rest of the Dolittle books.

[kaledrina_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Loved this book as a kid, still love it now & want to keep reading the series. If only I had time. Reminds me a LOT of the Twenty-One Balloons! (Read this for my Newbery class.)As a sequel, I really appreciated that Lofting took the time to introduce us to his new character, Stubbins, before bringing us back to the Doctor. I read the first book when I was a kid, but honestly, didn't even remember it (or that this book WAS a sequel) until I did some research on the first 8 Newbery winners. (Felt kind of stupid, there.) The strength of this for people who have read the books in order is that Stubbins becomes a much more viable character to them - the book no longer is just about John Dolittle, it's about his relationship with Tommy Stubbins. The introduction of Stubbins' character tells children of all ages, myself included, that it's possible to discover & follow dreams you never even knew you had. Of course, there are some tell-tale signs of the times in which the book was written - the monkey being able to pass as a black man and safely travel, the black man traveling with them as a chef, the Red Indians being unable to care for themselves properly and requiring the assistance of John Dolittle, the powerful, civilized, strong savior White Man. But really... this was an awesome book to read. If I had the time, I would go back and read all the adventures of John Dolittle. Maybe I'll make it a monthly project - read one Dolittle! A coworker of mine absolutely LOVES everything Dolittle, and is adamant that the editions should not be made PC because they are indicative of the time in which Lofting wrote them. As she says, "[the prince Bumpo] is well educated, which for his era was unheard of and considered fantasy - a black African getting a European education like he was a human or something." The book keeps it's weight & merit today mostly as a read-aloud - because of the potential issues with the political correctness, I think it'd be better for a kid to read it aloud with a grown-up.The origin of the Dolittle absolutely amazing - the letters Lofting wrote to his children in lieu of writing them horror stories from the war... then the kids demanding pictures to accompany the adventures. Information about this creation should be included in all the volumes - I think kids would love to know about it!

[fyrefly98 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Summary: In The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle, the now-famous Doctor who speaks the language of animals, takes on a young apprentice, Tommy Stubbins, who narrates this tale. Matters in the small town of Puddleby-on-the-Marsh keep Doctor Dolittle busy enough, but when he receives word that Long Arrow, the great Native American naturalist, is missing, he feels he must help. So the Doctor, Tommy, and an assortment of their animal companions travel halfway around the world to Spidermonkey Island, the last place that Long Arrow was seen. But when they get there, they find that the situation is even worse than they'd feared.Review: I don't ordinarily like to credit broad patterns in my life to single events from my childhood, but I am almost positive that stories from this book are what initially sparked my interest in marine biology. Traveling the depths of the ocean floor inside the translucent shell of the Great Glass Sea Snail? Yes please! Where do I sign up?This book is longer than its predecessor, although just as charming. Although it's technically the second book in the series, it could be picked up independently, since the introduction of Tommy as a narrator means that the reader gets a fresh introduction to Doctor Dolittle and all of his animals as well. For those who have read the first book, however, this re-introduction gives an interesting new perspective, and we get to see a different side to the Doctor's personality.Of course, the book has all of the same issues of its predecessor as well, especially in regards to casually racist attitudes. (To give the barest example, Long Arrow and his compatriots are referred to as Red Indians, which was admittedly the term at the time, but today conjures up uncomfortably Peter Pan-esque caricatures.) Similarly, there's an entire section in which the native inhabitants of Spidermonkey Island cheerfully crown the tubby white doctor as their king, which feels kind of icky in a post-colonial age. To be fair, though, the Doctor himself generally rejects both the racism and the colonialism; Long Arrow is (and is treated as) an intelligent and talented colleague, and the Doctor seems just as uncomfortable with his kingship as his readers are. In general, though, this entire series, and this book in particular, is just wildly charming. The characters are wonderful, the animals are lovable, the adventures are exciting, and the whole thing's just a good, fun, light read. One note: although both this and the first book are available for free on the Kindle, reading them in that format means missing out on Lofting's charming illustrations. 4.5 out of 5 stars.Recommendation: I love these books enough that I'd recommend them to just about everyone, but particularly those who've always secretly wished that they could talk to animals.

[shayna1900 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was a literacy milestone, and strong memory from my childhood. I took it out from the bookmobile and it was such a thick book for a child. I loved it and finished the entire novel. I remember feeling so proud to have the read the whole book. Now I had two desires- to fly like Peter Pan, to ride in a large snail and to talk to animals.

[debnance_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Tommy Stubbins is thrilled to make the acquaintance of the esteemed Doctor Doolittle. Doolittle has the amazing ability to talk to animals and he loves to travel; these two combine to send him off on many adventures. And Tommy is able to come along, a witness to all the adventures of the doctor. They meet up with the world’s greatest naturalist, Long Arrow, on a floating island. The doctor teaches the people of Spain a new way to fight bulls. And the doctor is made king.

[sharontheil_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Hugh Lofting was a prolific author, poet, and artist. He wrote and illustrated thirteen Doctor Dolittle books, which he began in the trenches of WWI as stories for his own children. These books have generated some controversy over the years because of certain wording and characterizations that are offensive to 21st-Century sensibilities. However, I read the original version of The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle and found nothing that is not in Tom Sawyer or Huck Finn. These books seem to have fallen out of favor toward the late 20th Century as realistic fiction came to dominate children's libraries, with little room for escapist fiction in which nothing bad ever happens. However, I think it is as wrong to force children to read Judy Bloom and Louise Fitzhugh exclusively as it is to enforce a staid Dick and Jane, conservative literary tradition. The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle conveys a great love of animals and the natural world and playful adventure in far-off lands, all within a secure world of humor and extended childhood.

[tjsjohanna_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This is a fanciful look at the natural world - very much from a child's view. In this world one can ride on the back of a giant sea snail's back right down to the depths of the ocean, and islands can float, and animals have extensive languages that can be learned. I loved Dr. Dolittle - he is pleasant and interested and good. This tale reminded me of tales such as "The Odyssey" or "Gulliver's Travels". An enjoyable read.

[elizajane_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

In this second book of the series we meet Tommy Stubbins, the boy who becomes Dolittle's assistant. Once again Dolittle sets off on a voyage this time to meet the great botanist Long Arrow, son of Golden Arrow and along the way they meet many side adventures. Dolittle becomes set on learning the shellfish language, meeting the Great Glass Sea Snail, ends up on Spidermonkey Island, saves the island from floating into the Antarctic and helps the natives build a thriving city and society.Both the 8yo and I thoroughly enjoyed every word of this book. Everything a child could want in a book is here: adventure, fantasy, science and animals all rolled into one. The action starts in the first chapter and is non-stop right to the very end which comes to a heart warming ending that leaves the reader with the feeling that there most certainly must be a sequel.The edition I have is unaltered from the original text. At least I can find no indication that it has been altered, though the spelling has been Americanized. This edition is part of the Grosset & Dunlap Illustrated junior Library which has been in publication since the 1950s so I am fairly confident the text has not been edited. Since these books are often cited as being racist by PC fanatics I will note that I found absolutely nothing offensive in the book at all. The original illustrations have been omitted and replaced by a handful of full-colour plates illustrated in a cute fashion which I am not fond of. I will look for an original edition with Lofting's illustrations to replace this one someday.Having read the first two together I can say for certain we will continue on with the series. The 8yo thought it was one of the best books we've read together and we both agree it is even better than the first book. Having read this as a child myself it is great to see that it lived up to my expectations and then some. Recommended!

[revslick_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

This is one of the few books I loved when I was 10, but I reread it as an adult and realized it stunk. Personally, I felt the author was Imperialistic, slightly racist, and naive toward indigenous people. Doolittle is elevated to a demigod status with the only flaw is that he wants to remain with the Indian tribes instead of going home. I felt it extremely ironic that he wasn't a vegetarian or vegan.

[meki_2 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book is about a man named Dr. Dolittle who goes on an wonderful voyage. This book is very funny and interesting.