1923 - The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle

I had not read any of the Doctor Dolittle series, or seen any of the movies (although "Dr. Dolittle: Tail to the Chief" screams high-quality moviemaking). All I knew was that there was a guy who talked to animals.

However, this book isn't about talking to animals, although that's a big element. It's an adventure book, about growing up in a small town and getting to leave it for strange lands.

With that said, the title is misleading, since there's only one actual voyage. Actually, when I finished, I was surprised at how short the book was - I was expecting more places to be visited. Part of that, I think, was the lack of a narrative arc to the story. The novel is in six parts, and while there are ups and downs throughout the first five parts, there aren't really any in part six. You'd expect a climax, but the book ends with them getting home with minimal trouble. It's a bit of a letdown. (This may be cynical, but Hugh Lofting did have to get more of the series sold.)

Still, though, a lot of that disappointment comes because the book is so charming - my expectations were very high by the end. Doctor Dolittle is a great character, and you really wish you had been the narrator when you were 10 years old, yourself. The animal characters aren't all punchlines, like the previews to the Doctor Dolittle movies seem to have them be; they're like another set of human companions.

The book is a little dated in terms of its knowledge of the world; for example, no one had yet visited the North Pole. But it's also dated in its perception of other cultures. There's a character, "Prince Bumpo" from Africa (whom the bird refers to by the n-word early on) - one schtick of his is that he has gone to Oxford and uses many big words, but often incorrectly. Ha ha, get it? Those backwards natives! Luckily, it's only one feature of his among many, which may have otherwise made the book hard to stomach.

But I don't want to criticize the book too much. It really is a great story. Two books down, and the Newbery people have gotten it right so far.