Doctor Dolittle: Level 1

By Hugh Lofting

Doctor Dolittle is a special doctor for animals because he canspeak to them. One day, he hears that a monkey in Africa needshis help. So he goes to Africa to cure the monkey.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Compass Publishing
• Release date: Feb 24, 2009
• ISBN: 9781599661810

Book preview

Dr. Dolittle Has To Earn Some Money

Dr. John Dolittle lived in a small town called Puddleby. Everyone in town knew him. The dogs and children ran after him.

He lived in a small house, but he had a large garden. He kept many animals in his garden. His favorite animals were Dab-Dab, a duck; Jip, a dog; Gub-Gub, a baby pig; Polynesia, a parrot; and Too-Too, an owl.

He also kept some fish, rabbits, mice, a squirrel, a hedgehog, a cow and a baby cow, a horse, chickens, pigeons, two lambs, and many other animals.

Dr. Dolittle did not have many patients. Most people did not like all his animals. When they were ill, they went to a doctor in another town.

I don’t care, Dr. Dolittle told his sister. I like animals better than people.

But you don’t have any money, his sister told him. You need patients.

I have a patient, Dr. Dolittle answered. The cat’s-meat-man. He’s the man who sells me meat for the cat.

He doesn’t pay you enough to live on, his sister told him.

Then I’ll sell everything I have, he said.

And he did. He sold most of his furniture. He sold most of his clothes. He had enough money to buy food for himself and his animals.

One day, the cat’s-meat-man said to him, "Why don’t you stop being a doctor for people and become a doctor for animals instead? You know a lot about animals — more than most vets, I’m sure. You wrote a wonderful book about cats.