Though Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is celebrated Monday, we can start celebrating with this revision of 1920's children's book, The Story of Dr. Dolittle, banned in the United States since the 70s for a subplot involving an African prince wishing to be a white man. It seems very appropriate after being slightly revised in 1997 by Patricia and Fredrick McKissack. The prince now hopes to become a brave lion and Dr. Dolittle gives him hair tonic that shags out his hair, but refuses to let him keep the hand mirror because the shag effect will be temporary and he comments to his pets that he hopes the prince learns that he doesn't need to look like a lion to be brave or more worthy of attention.

It is speculated by critics that the original author, Hugh Lofting, was inspired to write stories of a doctor who learns to speak animal language when upon serving in the British Army during World War I. he witnessed injured horses being shot. He wrote:

If we made the animals take the same chances we did ourselves, why did we not give them similar attention when wounded? But obviously to develop horse surgery as good as that of our Casual Clearing Station would necessitate a knowledge of horse language?

From the Foreword of The Story of Dr. Dolittle

Now that's what you call having horse sense! Lofting sent these stories to his children to help himself cope with the horrors he experienced, writing twelve books until he died in 1947. His second book, The Voyages of Dr. Dolittle, won the 1923 Newbery Medal and millions upon millions of children around the world have been charmed by the kind-faced, portly gentleman in a top hat, black bow tie and long, black coat (is that a 1920's tuxedo?) with his pets Polynesia the wise, old parrot, Chee-Chee the monkey, Jip the little dog, Dab Dab the duck, Gub Gub the pig and a few others.

You may wonder if the book was represented faithfully by 1967's cinematic version with Rex Harrison as Dr. Dolittle and it seems to me that the movie combined parts of at least Lofting's first two books and pretty much changed the events surrounding the African prince, but I have only been privy to its Table of Contents and a short description of it. Lofting's doctor doesn?t talk about being a vegetarian (Harrison's doctor sings about it), the animals converse in plain English (Harrison makes animal noises and movements, then interprets for human friends) and the doctor's sister threatens to get married and leave him (she doesn't mention getting married in the 60s' movie). Also the movie doctor's appearance is updated with no glasses, paunch and elegant dress and he falls in love with an equality-seeking female. I quite enjoyed them both and hope to find the other books.


Contents


1 Puddleby (Puddleby-on-the-Marsh in the movie)
2 Animal Languages
3 More Money Troubles
4 A Message From Africa (monkeys are very sick)
5 The Great Journey (by boat)
6 Polynesia and the King (tricks him into releasing Dolittle and pets from prison)
7 The Bridge of Apes
8 The Leader of the Lions (funny how his wife chews him out)
9 The Monkeys' Council
10 The Rarest Animal of All (a pushmi-pullyu is fictitious)
11 The Black Prince
12 Medicine and Magic
13 Red Sails and Blue Wings (a pirate ship tries to catch them)
14 The Rats' Warning (actually one speaks to him but all abandon ship)
15 The Barbary Dragon (pirates board their ship while they rest on an island)
16 Too Too, the Listener (Dolittle's owl displays hearing skill, discovery of a boy)
17 The Ocean Gossips (porpoises haven't seen boy's uncle thought drowned)
18 Smells (Jip the dog proves 'it takes a dog to find a man')
19 The Rock (finding the fisherman uncle)
20 The Fisherman's Town
21 Home Again

Afterword by original publisher from Books of Wonder


My Recommendation


Children of all ages who love quirky animals will absolutely adore this revised version even more than the original. Heck, I adored it with my child's heart. Some of Lofting's black and white drawings are included, but Michael Hague's classy, colorful illustrations are mesmerizing full page and two-page works of art. The story of learning animal language, sailing to a faraway land, coping with the natives, dealing with pirates who are outwitted by you and helping to rescue strangers is, of course, just what a child has ordered, full of adventure, fantasy, suspense, comic relief, endearing characters, good wins over bad and a satisfying ending.

There were a few words I didn't recognize, such as deep-sea decapods and dovecotes, and Lofting wasn't afraid to challenge young readers with intelligent yet exciting prose, but the meaning is made clear by the context and is not a liability. I didn't find it outdated particularly and think its message of loving the unique value of animals and black people can only help to bring up children of emotional maturity and sensitivity.

At 157 pages The Story of Dr. Dolittle will fascinate any child for many nights at bedtime, then the other eleven to follow. I know that two of the later books, Dr. Dolittle's Zoo and Dr. Dolittle in the Moon, were at my library, but the others were only found abridged in a Dr. Dolittle Treasury. I highly recommend that you start off with the first and keep going if you can. The 1967 movie, which I recently reviewed, is a product of its time, as the books were, but well worth renting or buying as well.

Here's a link to my movie review of that Dr. Dolittle:

http://www.epinions.com/content_86169652868



Recommended: Yes