The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle

‘The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle’ (1922) is a children’s fantasy novel by Hugh Lofting, an English author trained as a civil engineer. The novel is the second in a series of fifteen books featuring Doctor Dolittle, a character created by Lofting in letters written to his wife and children at home while he served in the Great War.
Dr. John Dolittle is an esteemed physician, but he finds himself drawn to animal patients more often than humans. In this book, his animal companions convince him to go on a daring voyage around the world to search for a missing friend. Their travels take them through storms and shipwrecks, to bullfighting rings and into courtrooms where animals testify as witnesses. All the while, Dr. Dolittle uses his incredible talent of animal communication to befriend and protect any animal he meets.
Beloved by generations of adults and children for their imaginative nature and moral worldview, Lofting’s books have inspired numerous adaptations for theater, film, and television.