Hugh Lofting Books in Order

Doctor John Dolittle learns to speak with animals and becomes their physician. When monkeys in Africa need urgent help, he sails from England with his animal companions, facing dangers and meeting unusual creatures along the way.

Young Tommy Stubbins joins Doctor Dolittle on a voyage across the sea, learning about animals from the doctor and his companions. A shipwreck carries them to floating Spidermonkey Island, where further discoveries await the expedition.

Doctor Dolittle organizes a postal service in the African kingdom of Fantippo, using migrating birds to carry messages. His efforts expand communication between animals and people while drawing him into journeys involving unusual creatures and distant places.

Doctor Dolittle joins a circus with the rare pushmi-pullyu to earn money for further travel. His ability to understand animals reveals problems behind the performances, drawing him into new adventures and challenges among the circus community.

Returning home, Doctor Dolittle expands his unusual zoo, where animals stay voluntarily without cages. A home for mixed-breed dogs and a rodents' club grow alongside a mystery that he investigates with Kling, a canine detective.

Doctor Dolittle creates an opera performed by birds, drawing on the remarkable life of green canary Pippinella. Their musical venture develops during his travels with his animal companions, bringing her experiences and singing talents to wider attention.

Doctor Dolittle turns his attention to the insects inhabiting his garden, developing ways to understand their languages. Stories from his animal household accompany new investigations, while an encounter with an extraordinary moth opens possibilities beyond Puddleby.

Doctor Dolittle explores the Moon, meeting unfamiliar animals, intelligent plants, and its human inhabitant, Otho Bludge. His curiosity brings him into the concerns of this strange world while friends in England wait anxiously for his return.

In an era when science begins displacing belief in magic, a boy and his sister seek help for their father's troubles. An old apple seller gives them a whispering shell whose guidance draws them toward their young king.

Gub-Gub, Doctor Dolittle's food-loving pig, sets out to create an encyclopedia devoted to eating. His conversations and stories entertain the other animals evening by evening, mixing culinary enthusiasm with fanciful inventions and tales from history.

Doctor Dolittle returns from the Moon on an enormous locust, bringing unusual discoveries and changes to his household. As Tommy Stubbins and the animals welcome him, the doctor struggles to find solitude to record his experiences.

This illustrated day-book presents 365 selections from the Doctor Dolittle stories, arranged across the year. Pictures accompany the quotations, offering brief visits to the doctor's world and animal companions through a calendar-style collection rather than a new adventure.

Continuing his research into long life, Doctor Dolittle plans to consult Mudface, an ancient turtle living in Africa's Secret Lake. News that an earthquake has buried the turtle turns his scientific journey into an urgent rescue mission.

Pippinella, the green canary featured in Doctor Dolittle's opera, tells the doctor and his animal household about her earlier adventures. Her account of a lost owner inspires the listeners to begin searching for the missing man.

This collection brings together further Doctor Dolittle adventures, ranging from travel to Africa to mysteries in Puddleby-on-the-Marsh. Animal companions share stories and assist the doctor, including a dog whose investigative skills help resolve local puzzles.

Doctor Dolittle sets out to rescue Sophie the seal, but even speaking animal languages cannot solve every obstacle. His plan requires passing Sophie off as a sick relative, creating complications for the doctor and his companions.

A sparrow warns Doctor Dolittle that Cape Stephen Lighthouse has stopped working and a ship is approaching dangerous rocks. The doctor and his animal companions respond to the emergency in this retelling for younger readers.

Doctor Dolittle cannot find time to write because his animal household keeps him occupied. Matthew Mugg suggests seeking peace in prison, prompting the doctor to attempt an unusual plan that soon requires help from his animal friends.

Doctor Dolittle and his animals rush to help when Moorsden Manor catches fire, but its owner's anger puzzles them. The unexpected response suggests that something is wrong, prompting the doctor and his companions to investigate.

Joining a circus to earn money, Doctor Dolittle discovers the animals' poor living conditions. When its supposedly talking horse falls ill, he uses the ringmaster's need for treatment to press for better care for every animal.

Doctor Dolittle's dogs decide to ease his workload by creating an ambulance to collect sick animals around Puddleby. Their enthusiasm for finding patients produces mayhem as their well-intentioned service brings an unexpected form of first aid.

Doctor Dolittle's ability to speak with animals leads to a call for help from Africa. This retelling introduces younger readers to the physician and his companions as they embark on the adventure begun in Lofting's first novel.

In this abridged retelling, Tommy Stubbins becomes Doctor Dolittle's assistant and begins learning animal languages with Polynesia's help. He joins the doctor and his companions on a voyage that brings unfamiliar creatures and new challenges.