Product Description

Designed for school districts, educators, and students seeking to maximize performance on standardized tests, Webster's paperbacks take advantage of the fact that classics are frequently assigned readings in English courses. By using a running thesaurus at the bottom of each page, this edition of The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle by Hugh Lofting was edited for students who are actively building their vocabularies in anticipation of taking PSAT¿, SAT¿, AP¿ (Advanced Placement¿), GRE¿, LSAT¿, GMAT¿ or similar examinations.
PSAT¿ is a registered trademark of the College Entrance Examination Board and the National Merit Scholarship Corporation neither of which sponsors or endorses this book; SAT¿ is a registered trademark of the College Board which neither sponsors nor endorses this book; GRE¿, AP¿ and Advanced Placement¿ are registered trademarks of the Educational Testing Service which neither sponsors nor endorses this book, GMAT¿ is a registered trademark of the Graduate Management Admissions Council which is neither affiliated with this book nor endorses this book, LSAT¿ is a registered trademark of the Law School Admissions Council which neither sponsors nor endorses this product. All rights reserved.

Product Details

• Published on: 2008-05-29
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 332 pages

From School Library Journal
Grade 4-8-Doctor Dolittle sets sail towards the mysterious Spider Monkey Island accompanied by by nine-and-a-half-year-old Tommy Stubbins. By Hugh Lofting.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From the Publisher
Doctor Dolittle heads for the high seas in perhaps the most amazing adventure ever experienced by man or animal. Told by nine-and-a-half-year-old Tommy Stubbins, crewman and future naturalist, the voyages of Doctor Dolittle and his company lead them to Spidermonkey Island. Along with his faithful friends, Polynesia the parrot and Chee-Chee the monkey, Doctor Dolittle survives a perilous shipwreck and lands on the mysterious floating island. There he meets the wondrous Great Glass See Snail who holds the key to the greates mystery of all.

From the Inside Flap
Doctor Dolittle heads for the high seas in perhaps the most amazing adventure ever experienced by man or animal. Told by nine-and-a-half-year-old Tommy Stubbins, crewman and future naturalist, the voyages of Doctor Dolittle and his company lead them to Spidermonkey Island. Along with his faithful friends, Polynesia the parrot and Chee-Chee the monkey, Doctor Dolittle survives a perilous shipwreck and lands on the mysterious floating island. There he meets the wondrous Great Glass See Snail who holds the key to the greates mystery of all.

Customer Reviews

A Very Good Book
It's hard to beat this book for all-out imaginative craziness. Oddly enough, other than talking animals, there is very little fantasy in this book, rather, Lofting chose to make Dr. Dolittle and his surroundings a calm place, a place where the animals talk to him, a place where adventures happen, but where there is never any brutal violence, unlike the adventures of Alice in Wonderland or Dorothy in OZ (both of which I like, BTW). What is really nice is that Lofting was able to make this formula WORK!

This edition, pink covers with a credit to Christopher Lofting, has been edited from it's original issue to remove some now offensive racial stereotypes and illustrations. I'm glad to say that, while I generally do not support this type of editing, in this case it was well done and did not subtract from the entertainment value of the book.

Note: The original Dr. Doolittle books have almost nothing in common with the Eddie Murphy movies, other than talking animals. Don't get them confused!

Enjoy!

So much better than the Story of Mankind
This is the second Newbery Award winner. In an effort to read all the Newbery books in order, I picked this up at my local library. I read this book as a child and it held me captive. Now (age 30) I finished it in two nights instead of one, but that's because I'm a "responsible" adult. I'm going to stop and peruse the rest of the Dr Dolittle books. This is a wild ride of adventure that's so much fun you'll willingly suspend belief that shellfish can talk. My favorite character is Bumpo because he's so well-educated. You'll have to read it as an adult to really appreciate that. Sorry kids.

Warning re: older printings of this book
I read all the Dr. Dolittle books as a child and LOVED them-- I was captivated by the premise of being able to talk to animals as well as by the exciting adventures. However, I was not prepared for what I found in (1951 printing) as I was reading it to my son the other night. In Chapter 5 (p. 36), Polynesia the parrot is catching Dr. Dolittle up on the goings-on back in Africa. She tells him that one of the African kings they know has sent his son to study at Oxford. She further comments that the Prince didn't want to go, fearing that he would be eaten by white cannibals. She then states, "You know what those niggers are--that ignorant!" Judging by the fact that this is not mentioned in the other reviews that I read on this site, I imagine this troubling line has been excised from more recent printings (such as those available on Amazon.com). I suggest that you make sure you purchase a more recent printing of this book, particularly if a child is going to be reading it on his/her own. As I continue reading the book to my son it will be interesting to note whether or not the portrayal of black characters in the book will be problematic as well . . . amz