The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle facts for kids
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| Author | Hugh Lofting |
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| Illustrator | Hugh Lofting |
| Cover artist | Hugh Lofting |
| Country | United States of America |
| Language | English |
| Series | Doctor Dolittle |
| Genre | Children's novel, animals |
| Publisher | J. B. Lippincott & Co. |
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Publication date
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1922 |
| Media type | Print (hardback and paperback) |
| Pages | 364 |
| Preceded by | The Story of Doctor Dolittle |
| Followed by | Doctor Dolittle's Post Office |
The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle is the second book in the exciting Doctor Dolittle series by Hugh Lofting. It was published in 1922. This book is much longer than the first one. It also has a more grown-up writing style. The story is huge, split into six parts. The pictures inside are also very detailed. This book even won a special award called the Newbery Medal in 1923!
Parts of this book were used in the 1967 movie Doctor Dolittle.
Contents
The Amazing Story
The adventure begins with a boy named Tommy Stubbins. He finds a squirrel that was hurt by a hawk. A friendly man, Matthew Mugg, tells Tommy to ask Doctor Dolittle for help. Doctor Dolittle is special because he can talk to animals!
When the Doctor returns from a trip, he helps the squirrel. Tommy then meets some of the Doctor's unique animal friends. These include Dab-Dab the duck and Jip the dog. Polynesia the parrot also arrives from Africa. She tells the Doctor that their friend Bumpo is studying in Bullford. Tommy starts learning from Doctor Dolittle. Polynesia teaches Tommy how to speak animal languages.
Chee-Chee the chimpanzee also comes from Africa. He tells them about his journey. The Doctor gets a boat called The Curlew. He plans to take Tommy, Polynesia, and a man named Luke the Hermit. Luke's dog, Bob, tells them that Luke was wrongly accused of a serious crime. Bob was a witness! In court, Doctor Dolittle shows the judge he can talk to animals. He translates Bob's story. The judge then realizes Luke is innocent.
Journey to Spider Monkey Island
Later, a special bird, the Purple Bird of Paradise, tells the Doctor some news. Long Arrow, a friend of the Doctor's, is missing. He is the son of Golden Arrow. To decide where to go, they play a game called Blind Travel. They choose to sail to Spider Monkey Island to find Long Arrow.
The Doctor, Tommy, Bumpo, and Polynesia start their sea journey. Along the way, they find some people hiding on their ship. They drop them off in Penzance. Their first stop is the Capa Blanca islands in Spain. The Doctor makes a deal with the bullfighters. If he can beat them, they will stop bullfighting. Bumpo even bets a lot of money that the Doctor will win! The Doctor talks to the bulls. They agree to help him make it look like he outsmarted the bullfighters. The Doctor wins, and they set sail again.
The Doctor shows Tommy a special talking fidgit (a small creature). It tells him that if they go deeper, they will find the Great Glass Sea Snail.
Adventures on the Island
A big storm then hits, wrecking their ship. Tommy is left alone. The Purple Bird of Paradise tells him his friends are on Spider Monkey Island. With help from porpoises, Tommy reaches the island and finds his friends.
Doctor Dolittle catches a rare beetle called a Jabizri. He learns that Long Arrow is stuck inside Hawk's Head Mountain. They try to find an opening but can't. So, they use the Jabizri to find the exact spot. They find a large stone slab in the mountain. They dig under it until it falls, and Long Arrow is free!
The people of the island, the Popsipetels, tell the Doctor something worrying. Their island is moving south and might disappear! The Doctor gets some whales to push the island back to South America.
After this, the Popsipetels tell the Doctor they will be attacked. Their rivals, the Bag-jagderags, are coming. The Doctor uses the island's birds and the Popsipetels to fight them. The Doctor and his army win! Because of all he did, the people decide to crown him king of their island. For many months, the Doctor rules the island. He makes many good changes for the Popsipetels.
The Journey Home
Polynesia finds the Great Glass Sea Snail. She brings her to Doctor Dolittle. He talks to the snail. He learns that the snail ended up on Spider Monkey Island because the island crashed into South America. The Doctor asks the snail to take him and his friends back to England inside her shell.
The Doctor leaves Spider Monkey Island. He sets off with Polynesia, Tommy, Matthew, Chee-Chee, and Jip. They travel across the ocean inside the Great Glass Sea Snail's shell. When they return to England, the Doctor and his friends go back to his house in Puddleby. Dab-Dab the duck says they are just in time for tea!
Main Characters
- Tommy Stubbins – The boy who tells the story. He becomes Doctor Dolittle's helper.
- Doctor Dolittle – The amazing doctor who can talk to all kinds of animals.
- Mathew Mugg – A friendly man who sells cat's meat. He knows everyone in Puddleby.
- Luke the Hermit – A man who was wrongly accused of a crime. He joins the Doctor's journey.
- Chee-Chee – A clever chimpanzee from Africa and a good friend of the Doctor.
- Dab-Dab – A duck who helps keep Doctor Dolittle's house in order.
- Bumpo – An African man who comes to England to study.
- Long Arrow – A scientist who studies nature. He goes missing on Spider Monkey Island.
- Jip – Doctor Dolittle's loyal dog.
- Polynesia – Doctor Dolittle's wise parrot. She teaches Tommy animal languages.
- Bob – Luke the Hermit's dog. He helps prove Luke's innocence.
- The Great Glass Sea Snail – A giant snail who helps the Doctor and his friends travel home.
- Miranda – A beautiful Purple Bird-Of-Paradise from the south.
See also
In Spanish: Los viajes del doctor Dolittle para niños
