The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle, a book report by Louis Meikle

This enchanting book is great for anyone who likes adventure and wildlife.

The story is told by a young boy, Tommy, a cobbler's* son, who meets the Doctor when he is trying to help a squirrel with a broken leg. The Doctor's house is full of animals and he has even got a private zoo in his garden. They become great friends and go on a long voyage together. The Doctor can talk to animals and with his colleagues he adventures to a very unusual island by boat and meets some very special people - there's an Indian naturalist* called Long Arrow, and the people who live on Spidermonkey island.

The descriptions are really good, here is one describing the colonel using a simile: "He was all wrapped up in smart overcoats and mufflers and brightly coloured gloves. It was not a very cold day but he had so many clothes on, he looked like a pillow inside a roll of blankets."

My favourite animal in the book is Jip the dog, because he is funny, he makes up jokes. The Doctor teaches Tommy to speak the languages of lots of animals. There are not very many pictures in the book but when there is one they are really good. There are some words I didn't understand but there are footnotes that tell you what they are.

The book is set in the time before computers. Hugh Lofting wrote Doctor Dolittle during the First World War.

If you're looking for a longish but exciting book to read, this is the book for you!

* A cobbler is someone who fixes boots and shoes
* A naturalist is someone who likes finding out about nature