The Story of Doctor Dolittle (Books of Wonder) (U)

No one loves and understands animals like the eccentric 19th century physician, Dr. Dolittle - who masters animal language with the help of Polynesia the parrot. After his human patients desert him, the kind-hearted doctor finds his calling in practicing animal medicine and his fame spreads far and wide.Children's LiteratureLofting was an Englishman, transplanted to America, who created the Doctor Dolittle character in letters home to his children from the battlefields of World War I. Eleven more books followed, garnering him a Newbery and an unforgettable place in literature for his loveable little doctor who could talk to-and cure-the animals. Lofting was a man of his time, and his fantasy recreates that world, including warts. This new edition chooses to eliminate the warts with a revision "for modern sensibilities" as noted in the foreword by Patricia and Fredrick McKissack. This bowdlerization chiefly affects the Prince Bumpo scenes and, of course, eliminates Lofting's original illustrations. Michael Hague's artwork is lovely and lush, but it leaves one yearning for the wry wit of Lofting's simpler drawings. 1997 (orig.