Riassunto
Trama e riassunto di The Story of Doctor Dolittle
Go deeper: the whole of The Story of Doctor Dolittle
About 1 h 50 min to read.A chi è rivolto
For children and adults who love gentle humour, animal characters and sea adventures, and families who enjoy reading aloud together.
Che cos’è questo libro
The Story of Doctor Dolittle is a children's novel by Hugh Lofting, published in 1920. Lofting began it as illustrated letters to his own children while he served as a soldier in the First World War. He wanted to send them something gentler than the news from the trenches, and the idea of a kind doctor who talks with animals grew from that wish.
The book follows John Dolittle, a physician in the village of Puddleby-on-the-Marsh. He gives up human patients for animal ones, learns to speak their languages, and sets out on a sea voyage to Africa to help sick monkeys. You get a warm, funny adventure with a ship, a strange two-headed beast, and a doctor who cares more about kindness than money. Let us begin with how the doctor ends up with a house full of animals.
In questo riassunto
- 1A doctor surrounded by his animalsFree
- 2A parrot teaches him to speak animal
- 3The household and its crew of friends
- 4A call for help from Africa
- 5Sea voyage, strange lands and strange beasts
- 6Kindness, language and how it is told
Punto chiave 1 di 6
A doctor surrounded by his animals
Doctor John Dolittle is a well-liked physician, but he loves animals so much that his house and garden fill up with them. He keeps a rabbit in the pantry, a squirrel in the linen closet, and a hedgehog in the cellar. There is even a mouse in the piano.
His sister Sarah keeps house for him, and she is not pleased. She grumbles that no respectable person wants to sit in a waiting room full of creatures. Little by little the human patients stop coming, because the animals drive them away. The doctor grows poorer, and the family must sell what it can to buy food.
The Doctor has a friend in the cat's meat man, Matthew Mugg, who sells meat for cats and dogs around the village. The cat's meat man is a loyal, talkative fellow who knows a great deal about pets and their owners. He suggests that the Doctor might do better if he treated animals instead of people. It is a plain idea, but it sets the whole tale moving.
The opening shows what kind of man Dolittle is. He is shy, absent-minded and gentle, and he never turns away a creature in need. His troubles with money come straight from his kindness. From the first pages, the book asks you to side with a man who is a little foolish in the eyes of the world but good in all the ways that matter.
That’s 1 of 6 key points.
The rest of the summary, written and spoken, and the whole book: free to start.
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Go deeper: the whole of The Story of Doctor Dolittle
About 1 h 50 min to read.Who’s who
- Doctor John Dolittle
- A gentle English physician who shares his home with animals and learns their languages from Polynesia.
- Polynesia
- A wise grey parrot who teaches the Doctor animal languages and advises his household and travelling companions.
- Chee-Chee
- A clever African monkey who belongs to the Doctor's household and longs to return to his homeland.
- Jip
- A loyal dog whose keen nose makes him a valuable companion to the Doctor and his friends.
- Dab-Dab
- A practical duck who manages the Doctor's household and looks after his comfort and safety.
- Gub-Gub
- A food-loving pig whose curiosity and appetite make him a comic member of the Doctor's household.
- Matthew Mugg
- A cat's meat seller and friend who encourages the Doctor to treat animals rather than human patients.
- Prince Bumpo
- The young prince of Jolliginki, whose love of fairy tales shapes the wish he brings to the Doctor.
About this edition
Every format is free to start, and print and large print are at cost.
- LengthAbout 28,000 words
- Reading timeAbout 1 h 55 min
- FormatseBook, large-print eBook, audiobook, 15-minute summary; paperback, hardcover and large print at cost
- LanguagesEnglish and 13 other languages
Questions about The Story of Doctor Dolittle
What is The Story of Doctor Dolittle about?
It follows John Dolittle, an English doctor who learns to talk with animals and sails to Africa with a crew of animal friends to cure a deadly illness among the monkeys.
Who wrote Doctor Dolittle and when?
Hugh Lofting wrote it and it appeared in 1920. He began it as illustrated letters to his children while serving as a soldier in the First World War.
What is a pushmi-pullyu?
It is a rare, shy animal in the book with a head at each end of its body. It cannot be easily caught and has a gentle nature, and the Doctor treats it with respect.
Is The Story of Doctor Dolittle hard to read?
No. The language is simple and the chapters are short, with lots of dialogue and humour. It works well as a read-aloud book for children.
Is Doctor Dolittle racist?
Some passages, especially in how African characters are shown, have been criticised. Later editions have revised some of them, so readers may meet different versions.