Doctor John Dolittle is a character created by Hugh Lofting and first introduced in 1920 in *The Story of Doctor Dolittle*. The second story, *The Voyages of Dr. Dolittle*, won a Newbery Medal. In total, there are 12 stories that are part of the Doctor Dolittle series. The series has inspired numerous films. It was first brought to the big screen in 1967 and starred Sir Reginald Carey Harrison—better known as Rex Harrison—as Dr. Dolittle. In 1998, it inspired another film, *Dr. Dolittle*, with Eddie Murphy cast as Dr. Dolittle. In 2020, the series inspired another film version, *Dolittle*, based largely on the second book in the series (*The Voyages of Dr. Dolittle*), with Robert Downey Jr. playing the titular role.
Year | # | Title | Pages |
---|---|---|---|
1968 | 1 | The Story of Doctor Dolittle | 176 |
1922 | 2 | The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle | 288 |
2021 | 3 | Doctor Dolittle's Post Office | 182 |
2021 | 4 | Doctor Dolittle's Circus | 204 |
2020 | 5 | Doctor Dolittle's Zoo | 156 |
2021 | 6 | Doctor Dolittle's Caravan | 330 |
1927 | 7 | Doctor Dolittle's Garden | 320 |
1928 | 8 | Doctor Dolittle in the Moon | 224 |
2018 | 9 | Doctor Dolittle's Return | 158 |
1948 | 10 | Doctor Dolittle and the Secret Lake | 448 |
2011 | 11 | Doctor Dolittle and the Green Canary | 246 |
1992 | 12 | Doctor Dolittle's Puddleby Adventures | 224 |
Hugh Lofting was the creator of the beloved Doctor Dolittle children’s book series. He created the idea for the stories when writing letters home to his children while serving in the British army during World War I to avoid filling his letters with the atrocities or boredom of war.