The good Doctor Dolittle, accompanied by his devoted animal friends, sets sail once again. This time it is a voyage of discovery to learn the secret of the Shellfish language—and to teach Tommy Stubbins, the doctor’s young protégé, all there is to know about animals and their languages. The jolly party meets with more adventures than they had anticipated, including a shipwreck, a floating island, and a journey undersea in the Great Glass Sea Snail.
Winner of the Newbery Award for “the most distinguished contribution to children’s literature in any single year.”
Hugh Lofting (1886–1947) was born in Maidenhead, England, of English and Irish parents. He was an officer in the Irish Guards when he found that writing illustrated letters to his children eased the terrific strain of war which he felt so keenly. These letters became The Story of Doctor Dolittle, published in 1920. Since then children all over the world have read the Dr. Dolittle stories with devotion and pleasure.