8This Newbery Medal-winning adventure, the second book in the ever-popular Doctor Dolittle series, finds the physician who can talk to animals setting sail in search of a missing colleague. Join the good doctor and his new assistant, nine-year-old Tommy Stubbins, as they hunt for Long Arrow, the world's greatest naturalist. Together with Jip the Dog, Polynesia the Parrot, and other memorable characters, the doctor and Tommy travel from their home in Puddleby-on-the-Marsh to the Mediterranean sea and South America, braving a shipwreck on a mysterious island and encountering an enigmatic creature at the bottom of the ocean.
"Any child who is not given the opportunity to make the acquaintance of this rotund, kindly, and enthusiastic doctor/naturalist and all of his animal friends will miss out on something important," declared wildlife biologist Jane Goodall. Doctor Dolittle has delighted readers for over a century, ever since Hugh Lofting enlivened his letters from the trenches of World War I with fancifully illustrated tales of a man with a special gift for communication. The doctor remains a beloved figure whose concern for the environment and promotion of peaceful coexistence among all the planet's creatures form a fine example for readers of all ages.