Doctor Dolittle and His Animals

A long, long time ago, in a little town called Puddleby-on-the-Marsh, there lived a kind doctor named John Dolittle.

He was a very good and gentle man, with a big, warm beard, a hat that always slipped down over his eyes, and a garden full of plants.

But instead of caring only for people, Doctor Dolittle loved animals more than anything in the world.

He lived with a whole crowd of them: Jip the dog, Dab-Dab the duck, Gub-Gub the pig, Polynesia the parrot, Too-Too the owl, and Chee-Chee the little monkey.

Some of his neighbors began to think he was rather strange.

“Doctor Dolittle,” they would say, “if you didn’t keep so many animals in your house, you’d have a lot more patients!”

And indeed, over time, fewer people came to see him, and money became scarce. But the doctor was happy just listening to the birds singing and the animals chatting in his house.

One day, Polynesia the parrot said,

“Doctor John, you should learn to speak the language of animals! They have their own words - and it’s not that hard!”

“Then teach me!” said the doctor eagerly.

So Polynesia began to teach him the words of dogs, horses, ducks, pigs, and even the language of insects and fish!

Soon the doctor could understand every cluck of a hen, every whimper of a puppy, and every cheerful chirp of the birds.

Animals from all around began coming to see the doctor, asking for his help. One squirrel had a scratched paw, a turtle had lost his shell, and a little hedgehog had caught a cold!

One winter afternoon, a stork from Africa arrived in Puddleby, bringing with her a colorful parrot.

“Doctor Dolittle, please help us!” cried the parrot. “There’s a terrible sickness in our African jungle. The monkeys are dying by the thousands!”

“We must prepare for a journey,” said the doctor to his animals.

They gathered money, packed supplies, and set off on a long adventure.

“Hey-ho, adventure!” shouted Gub-Gub, wagging his little tail.

They waved goodbye to the town and sailed across the wide ocean to the South.

They survived a great storm, barely escaping with their lives, and then landed on an island ruled by the King of Spiders.

“What an incredible place!” said the doctor as he saw giant spiders spinning webs like bridges.

The Spider King turned out to be friendly and helped the doctor find his way back to the right course.

After many days and weeks, they finally reached hot, sunny Africa.

There, among the palms and jungle winds, a whole army of monkeys was waiting for them.

The Great Silver Gorilla, their king, spoke:

“Doctor Dolittle, please - help our mothers and children!”

Without hesitation, the doctor began his work.

At Polynesia’s request, the monkeys helped too - they brought water, dried the cloths, and boiled herbs.

Gub-Gub tried to help in his own way, handing out carrots to everyone.

“To all the sad monkeys - give a carrot! It’s the best medicine in the world!” he said proudly.

Polynesia just rolled her eyes.

“Oh, Gub-Gub, you and your carrots!”

Thanks to the doctor’s efforts and his friends’ help, the monkeys soon began to recover.

The grateful animals decided to repay the kind doctor.

And that’s when something most unusual happened.

One night, a group of lions, tigers, and leopards came running into the camp!

Polynesia panicked.

“Doctor, they’re going to eat us!”

But the lion bowed his head and said softly,

“My little son is very sick. I heard that the doctor can heal animals.”

Doctor Dolittle examined the lion cub, and after a few days of care, the little one was healthy again.

The lion smiled gratefully.

“If you are ever in danger, call for me - and the whole jungle will come to your aid!”

Soon it was time to go home. But when they reached the shore, their boat was gone! It had been stolen by slave traders. The doctor looked sadly at his friends.

“What will we do now?”

But the animals had a plan. The Great Silver Gorilla sent out a call for help. All the jungle animals - rhinos, elephants, and lions - worked together to build a huge raft. Polynesia laughed with delight.

“No one has ever sailed across the ocean on a raft like this!”

They set off for home, and along the way, many more adventures awaited them. One night, Gub-Gub suddenly shouted,

“A ship! A ship is coming!”

It turned out to be a pirate ship. The captain and his crew looked fierce and dangerous.

Jip barked bravely,

“Not one step closer, you silly thieves!”

Then the doctor asked Polynesia to talk to the pirate ship’s parrot. Together, the parrots made spooky ghostly sounds, and the pirates were so frightened they fled, thinking the ship was haunted!

At last, they reached England. The whole town of Puddleby was waiting for their return.

“Doctor, tell us your stories!” everyone called.

John Dolittle told them about the jungle, the monkeys, the kind lions, and the friendly elephants.

He became famous again, and people once more came to see him and be healed. But what made the doctor happiest was sitting in his garden at the end of the day, with Jip, Dab-Dab, Gub-Gub, Polynesia, Chee-Chee, and all his beloved animal friends. Polynesia fluffed her feathers and said softly,

“John, remember - no matter what happens in the world, animals will always need you.”

Doctor Dolittle smiled, adjusted his glasses, and said,

“And I will always help animals - as best as I can!”

The animals gathered around him, hugging and singing their funny little songs.

So, if you ever find yourself in Puddleby-on-the-Marsh and hear a talking parrot or a happy pig oinking in the garden, it might just be the home of the wonderful Doctor Dolittle - and his cheerful animal friends.