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| The Story of Doctor Dolittle (Books of Wonder) | 
| Authors: Hugh Lofting, Patricia & Fredrick Mckissack Creator: Michael Hague Publisher: HarperCollins Category: Book
List Price: $27.99 Buy Used: $1.28 You Save: $26.71 (95%)
New (23) Collectible (4) from $13.99
Avg. Customer Rating: 19 reviews Sales Rank: 416473
Media: Hardcover Reading Level: Ages 4-8 Number Of Items: 1 Pages: 176 Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.2 Dimensions (in): 9.3 x 7.1 x 0.5
ISBN: 0688140017 EAN: 9780688140014 ASIN: 0688140017
Publication Date: September 26, 1997 Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
| Showing reviews 1-5 of 19 | | NEXT » |
Just wonderful November 29, 2007 An endearing classic. My daughter, 5 1/2 loves the illustrations - this is truly a beautiful book.
cornwall,NY Sixth Grader March 24, 2007 1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I am a sixth grader. If you like fantasy and adventure, then Doctor Dolittle is the book for you. Doctor Dolittle was a people doctor in Puddleby-on-the-Marsh. He was also an animal lover. His house was full of all different types of animals. The more animals he took in, the less people came for his help. Because he liked animals better, he decided to care for animals instead. His parrot, Polynesia, explained how animals have their own language. After spending a lot of time with Polynesia, Doctor Dolittle soon learned the languages of all the different animals. Chee-Chee the monkey told the doctor about an illness among the monkeys in Africa. Doctor Dolittle said he would go there and care for the monkeys. There was one problem. He had no money to get there. Some of the animals and Doctor Dolittle boarded a boat for the long trip to Africa. It took them six weeks to sail there. The king didn't want them on his land so he put them all in prison. They escape from the prison. They finally find all the sick monkeys. Doctor Dolittle starts tending to them. You have to read the book to find out how this adventure ends. Another fun part in the book is when he finds an amazing animal. It is like nothing you have ever seen before. I will not tell what is special about it because I don't want to ruin the surprise. He takes this animal around so everyone can enjoy this unusual creature. Doctor Dolittle does eventually return home. There are many other adventures and surprises in the book. I don't want to ruin the book so you will just have to read it. I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes adventure, fantasy and make believe. I wish I had the ability to talk to animals, don't you? So hurry out and get this book. You will be glad you did!!!!!!!
great illustrations November 13, 2006 1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I select classic children's books. If there are several available, I always select the one with the best illustrations. This had the best illustrations of all the "Doctor Dolittle" books offered by Amazon.
Beautifully illustrated and revised July 16, 2005 13 out of 14 found this review helpful
I presume anyone reading the reviews already is familiar with the storyline of Dr. Dolittle. I highly recommend this version with only a slight reservation (see below) because its illustration and editing would make an excellent introduction to children as well as a gift possibility and a lifelong keepsake.
I heartily disagree with the reviewer who discredits this edition because it has been updated to modern civilities. The reviewer mistakenly suggests that the edition conceals that changes have been made. To the contrary, the foreword fully describes the editors' concerns for literary sensitivities as they made changes.
If your purpose is to collect unabridged books, do shop elsewhere. But if you share my intent of introducing this wonderful story to children, this book serves the purpose very well. There is minimal distraction from unnecessary anachronisms.
I think this edition would serve children well through elementary school. I would nominate unabridged editions for older children to help teach them about society's changing attitudes towards racism.
My slight reservation (mentioned above) about this edition is that racial stereotypes do persist. In Africa, the (white) doctor is referred as "the good man" while the African king is unjust, his son is goofy, and both the king and his son are easily fooled. These characterizations ARE unavoidable without drastically changing the storyline. However, the story explains the motivation for the king's injustice and is a worthy point of discussion with a young reader.
Awesome book! November 29, 2004 2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I had this book as a child and since I'm an avid reader, mine is still in excellent condition and is now being read to my child. He absolutely loves this book. It's so well illustrated and very well written. The imagination that it sparks is unbelievable and quite fun. He loves all the animals and watching Dr. Dolittle go to Africa in the boat. It jus sparks so much conversation and imagination. Don't hesitate on this book - it's just wonderful.
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