8 h 32 minAudiobook9 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at cost
Audiobook edition · 8 h 32 minPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What if learning to listen could carry you from a quiet village into a world of talking animals?
In Puddleby-on-the-Marsh, a cobbler's son named Tommy Stubbins longs to understand animal speech. Matthew Mugg brings him into the circle of Doctor John Dolittle, a kind, absent-minded naturalist who cares for animals instead of human patients. For a boy full of questions, the Doctor's household opens a door to a larger world.
Polynesia, the Doctor's clever old parrot, teaches Tommy to listen, while Jip the dog and Gub-Gub the pig bring loyalty, strong opinions, and comedy. Then the story heads out to sea. In Hugh Lofting's adventure, curiosity leads beyond home, and kindness means paying attention to creatures other people ignore.
What you’ll discover
- A boy full of questions See the Doctor's unusual world through Tommy's plain, friendly account of his adventure.
- Lessons from a parrot Meet Polynesia, whose worldly knowledge helps Tommy begin to understand the speech of animals.
- An unforgettable animal household Enjoy Jip's outspoken loyalty and Gub-Gub's greedy silliness among the Doctor's warm, funny companions.
- Curiosity sets the course Follow a naturalist whose hunger to learn draws him away from home and out to sea.
- Kindness begins with listening Discover a gentle argument for noticing living creatures and taking their needs seriously.
Who will love it
This book is for readers who love talking animals, sea voyages and lost islands, and for anyone who likes a hero who is gentle, funny and brave. It suits families reading aloud.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A storm brings a boy to the Doctor's door
- Tommy learns animal language and becomes an assistant
- A bulldog takes the witness stand
- Blind Travel, stowaways and a bullfight
- A fish's tale and a storm at sea
- A beetle carries a letter from Long Arrow
- Fire, a war of parrots and a crown
- Kindness to animals is the book's firm rule
- Helping others carries a price and a duty
- An old man's voice makes the tale warm and funny
Who’s who
- Tommy StubbinsA poor cobbler's son who longs to see the world and becomes the Doctor's assistant and the narrator of the voyages.
- Doctor John DolittleA kind, round, absent-minded naturalist who speaks to animals and wants to learn the language of shellfish.
- PolynesiaA very old gray parrot with a perfect memory, a sailor's tongue and a plan for everything.
- JipThe Doctor's faithful dog, who guards the house and keeps a secret about Luke the Hermit.
- Chee-CheeA quick, clever monkey who misses Puddleby so much that he crosses England in a skirt to return.
- BumpoAn African prince studying at Oxford who joins the crew as cook and speaks in very grand language.
- Long ArrowA tall Indian naturalist who cannot read or write yet knows plants and medicines better than anyone.
- Dab-DabThe sensible white duck who keeps the Doctor's house running and looks after the animals.
Formats and delivery
- eBook
- On your phone, tablet or computer, once the book texts are online.
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- The same book in bigger, clearer type, once the book texts are online.
- Audiobook
- Read by Lucas Linden, complete. It opens once the recording is online.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 9 minutes, to read today.
- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Hardcover
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- Large print paperback
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- Large print hardcover
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Die Reisen des Doktor Dolittle
by Hugh Lofting · 1922
A cobbler's son, a talking parrot and a floating island: Tommy Stubbins sets sail with Doctor Dolittle.
Medium level5–10 hours to readDeutsch
Newbery Medal, 1923
Excellent
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In short
Why would a boy of ten leave home to sail with a little round man who chats with ducks, dogs and parrots? In The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle, Tommy Stubbins, a poor cobbler's son from Puddleby-on-the-Marsh, does exactly that.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A storm brings a boy to the Doctor's door
Tommy Stubbins is nine and a half, the son of the cobbler of Puddleby-on-the-Marsh. He cannot go to school, so he spends his days by the river, watching ships and dreaming of faraway lands.
One spring morning he rescues a squirrel from a hawk. His friends say only one man can mend its legs, the naturalist John Dolittle, who speaks the language of animals. Every day for a week Tommy tries the gate of the Doctor's garden, and every day it is locked and guarded by an old dog named Jip.
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You looked at
Which edition is right for me
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas of the whole book in about 9 minutes. A good first look, or a refresher.
Details
- First published
- 1922
- Language
- Deutsch
- Reading time
- 5 h 35 min
- Level
- Medium level
Cite this edition
Lofting, Hugh. The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-voyages-of-doctor-dolittle.
Lofting, H. (2026). The voyages of Doctor Dolittle. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-voyages-of-doctor-dolittle (Original work published 1922)
Lofting, Hugh. The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-voyages-of-doctor-dolittle.
@book{lofting2026voyages,
author = {Lofting, Hugh},
title = {The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-voyages-of-doctor-dolittle},
note = {First published 1922}
}
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What is The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle about?
It tells how a poor boy named Tommy Stubbins meets Doctor Dolittle, learns to speak with animals and sails with him to Spidermonkey Island, a floating island where they find a lost naturalist and take part in a war.
Who is Polynesia in Doctor Dolittle?
Polynesia is the Doctor's very old gray parrot. She taught him animal languages, has a perfect memory, speaks English, loves plotting, and helps Tommy learn. She also acts as a ship's guide, a teacher and a strategist.
Is The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle a true story?
No, it is a fantasy told in the form of a memoir. Hugh Lofting, who died in 1947, invented the Doctor, his animals and the floating island, though the setting of an English town in the 1800s is drawn from real life.
The author
Hugh Lofting
1886–1947 · English children's author
Hugh Lofting (1886–1947) was a British author born in Maidenhead, England. He wrote the Doctor Dolittle books, beginning with The Story of Doctor Dolittle in 1920. The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle followed in 1922. He moved to the United States after the First World War and died in California.
More by Hugh Lofting
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