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katykelly's review against another edition
4.0
A clash in acceptabilities but a nonetheless charming story.
The man who can talk to animals, filmed several times. Doctor Dolittle is a book I read many years ago for a course, but completely forgotten. Well, I DID remember that there were uncomfortable scenes involving some teeth-clenchingly racist characters...
My 7 year old and I listen to a lot of books on the way to school, and having this on our shelf but also available to hear from Audible, we combined the two so he could follow along while we drove. This definitely helped with this slightly older material with some language that doesn't flow as easily as contemporary books tend to.
Dr Dolittle lives in the English village of Puddleby with his large menagerie of animals. Losing money as a doctor of humans (most are scared away by his animal friends), he finds he is able to succeed as an animal doctor after he learns to speak their languages. And when he receives a message that the African monkeys are sick and in need of his expertise, the story becomes a global adventure.
The animal doctoring is fine, my son liked the idea of a man talking to the animals. A few are characterised but most seemed to fade into the background for me. It was a few scenes in particular though which has readers' eyebrows raising - Prince Bumpo (yes, you read right), whom the Doctor meets on his travels, wishes to turn his skin from black to white. It's a fairly uncomfortable couple of chapters to sit through as an adult, but my son had no idea it was anything to make mention of, and for the time in which it was written, of course, would have not stood out in the way it does today.
Dolittle's adventures are pretty exciting for a child reader, with talking animals and world travels. Some scenes did drag though, certainly in the second half. I think if we hadn't had a copy of the book to follow, my son would have started flagging and getting bored with it.
The new Audible narrator had a very distinct voice, I wasn't too sure I liked it particularly, especially the American accent for a British-set, written and populated book.
The Push-Me-Pull-You is a memorable creation, one you want to see (not easy on an audiobook!), and the whole concept is great. The book itself has dated, but for a capable reader it is still entertaining and accessible, though some may require some explanation/detail as to the Bumpo sequence...
For ages 7/8 and over, dependent on capability.
With thanks to Nudge Books for providing a sample Audible copy.
The man who can talk to animals, filmed several times. Doctor Dolittle is a book I read many years ago for a course, but completely forgotten. Well, I DID remember that there were uncomfortable scenes involving some teeth-clenchingly racist characters...
My 7 year old and I listen to a lot of books on the way to school, and having this on our shelf but also available to hear from Audible, we combined the two so he could follow along while we drove. This definitely helped with this slightly older material with some language that doesn't flow as easily as contemporary books tend to.
Dr Dolittle lives in the English village of Puddleby with his large menagerie of animals. Losing money as a doctor of humans (most are scared away by his animal friends), he finds he is able to succeed as an animal doctor after he learns to speak their languages. And when he receives a message that the African monkeys are sick and in need of his expertise, the story becomes a global adventure.
The animal doctoring is fine, my son liked the idea of a man talking to the animals. A few are characterised but most seemed to fade into the background for me. It was a few scenes in particular though which has readers' eyebrows raising - Prince Bumpo (yes, you read right), whom the Doctor meets on his travels, wishes to turn his skin from black to white. It's a fairly uncomfortable couple of chapters to sit through as an adult, but my son had no idea it was anything to make mention of, and for the time in which it was written, of course, would have not stood out in the way it does today.
Dolittle's adventures are pretty exciting for a child reader, with talking animals and world travels. Some scenes did drag though, certainly in the second half. I think if we hadn't had a copy of the book to follow, my son would have started flagging and getting bored with it.
The new Audible narrator had a very distinct voice, I wasn't too sure I liked it particularly, especially the American accent for a British-set, written and populated book.
The Push-Me-Pull-You is a memorable creation, one you want to see (not easy on an audiobook!), and the whole concept is great. The book itself has dated, but for a capable reader it is still entertaining and accessible, though some may require some explanation/detail as to the Bumpo sequence...
For ages 7/8 and over, dependent on capability.
With thanks to Nudge Books for providing a sample Audible copy.
keeltrice's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racial slurs, Colonisation, and Racism
Minor: Drug use
same_g's review against another edition
3.0
The book was a fun adventure story and an easy read. I rather liked the overall book but I read the original version and the racism and Eurocentric view was rough. If reading with kids I would suggest a revised version. I can see why it would it is still considered a classic but I'll stick to the movies.
debosmitathereader's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
lucee318's review against another edition
adventurous
inspiring
relaxing
fast-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
5.0
kitsuneheart's review against another edition
2.0
There are classic stories. Winners of Newbery and Caldecott medals, or similar. Stories that were considered phenomenal for their time. But stories which have, through the passage of time, been revealed as extremely problematic.
"The Story of Doctor Dolittle" is just downright racist. It reeks of colonialism, with the African characters shown as exceedingly unintelligent, and generally in awe of or in love with Caucasians. One even wishes to BECOME white in order to win the love of a white woman.
While, for purposes of Intellectual Freedom, I never advocate for the removal of a book from a library, I do think that there are newer, better books available for young readers. But, should a child really hit on Doctor Dolittle, it's best that their parents be involved with the reading, to make sure that they don't internalize the portrayal of African characters.
"The Story of Doctor Dolittle" is just downright racist. It reeks of colonialism, with the African characters shown as exceedingly unintelligent, and generally in awe of or in love with Caucasians. One even wishes to BECOME white in order to win the love of a white woman.
While, for purposes of Intellectual Freedom, I never advocate for the removal of a book from a library, I do think that there are newer, better books available for young readers. But, should a child really hit on Doctor Dolittle, it's best that their parents be involved with the reading, to make sure that they don't internalize the portrayal of African characters.
annabannana's review against another edition
I read this series 4 decades ago. I still have vivid memories of reading these books as a young girl - what I was doing while I read them, what I was thinking. They affected me deeply. I must include them in my list of all-time favorites.
I do not know if the version I read was one that had already been changed to be "PC." I don't know when that editing of the series first started. I was reading these in the 70's, so I'm going to guess I read the original version. Since I have not reread these books in 40 years, I do not know for sure how I will feel about reading the original vs. the revised versions myself or to my son now, with a 21st Century awareness. I DO know that I would like to be given the choice. This is a classic book, and I think much of the learning that needs to take place in our society is lost if we take away the opportunity to compare and contrast and learn from the way previous times and cultures dealt with issues such as the color of a person's skin.
Mark Twain's books can be inflammatory, and people have wanted to ban his books for a variety of reasons, yet we can use his classics to study and learn and grow. I believe the Doctor Dolittle books should continue to be available in the original format as well for these reasons. However, this type of study is usually undertaken by much older children than the original intended audience of the Doctor Dolittle books.
If my son is going to read these books by himself at a young and impressionable age, he needs to read a revised version rather than the original. If I am going to read it to him myself, I might prefer the original version that I revise myself and discuss with him as I am reading it to him. I absolutely don't think he should hear racially derogatory terms as a 7 year old.
I'll have to update this review after I have read the books again.
I do not know if the version I read was one that had already been changed to be "PC." I don't know when that editing of the series first started. I was reading these in the 70's, so I'm going to guess I read the original version. Since I have not reread these books in 40 years, I do not know for sure how I will feel about reading the original vs. the revised versions myself or to my son now, with a 21st Century awareness. I DO know that I would like to be given the choice. This is a classic book, and I think much of the learning that needs to take place in our society is lost if we take away the opportunity to compare and contrast and learn from the way previous times and cultures dealt with issues such as the color of a person's skin.
Mark Twain's books can be inflammatory, and people have wanted to ban his books for a variety of reasons, yet we can use his classics to study and learn and grow. I believe the Doctor Dolittle books should continue to be available in the original format as well for these reasons. However, this type of study is usually undertaken by much older children than the original intended audience of the Doctor Dolittle books.
If my son is going to read these books by himself at a young and impressionable age, he needs to read a revised version rather than the original. If I am going to read it to him myself, I might prefer the original version that I revise myself and discuss with him as I am reading it to him. I absolutely don't think he should hear racially derogatory terms as a 7 year old.
I'll have to update this review after I have read the books again.
adele5sat7rn's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
my favorite children book
claytell's review against another edition
2.0
Just not the same experience as the book that I fell in love with and blew up my imagination. Does not stand the test of time.