Dr. Dolittle's Circus

Forget about the Eddie Murphy movies - they don't convey the charm and the emotion of the books. This is a particularly good childrens' book, as it has Dr Dolittle becoming involved (against his better judgement) with a circus. The circus intends to exhibit the exoctic pushmi-pullyu, along with other unusual animals. The story of how Dr Dolittle becomes entangled in this mess and manages to rescue a seal is a classic. You can read this to your kids instead of renting the movie. Yeah, I like Eddie Murphy, too, but he did not convey an emotional connection to the animals. So get this and read this to your kids - or read it for yourself. It's a great book and a fun read.

In the _Dr. Dolittle_ books, Lofting has created a series with no weak links, and this entry, in which circumstances force Dr. Dolittle to take over the management of a traveling circus, is as entertaining as could be. Dolittle needs to raise some money to send a dear friend back to his African jungle home, and he reluctantly agrees to participate in a circus in order to raise the money. The ordinarily mild-mannered Doctor becomes righteously indignant when he sees the maltreatment of the circus animals by the ringmaster, an unsavory Mr. Blossom. When Blossom steals away into the night with everyone's money, the good doctor takes on the challenge of running the circus, the Dolittle way. Lofting has fun showing us the details of a utopian traveling circus from the animal's point of view. By unveiling the cruelty that circus animals endure, Lofting shines a spotlight on a problem that still exists (to a lesser extent) today. At the time that this book was published, circus conditions were truly barbaric, and Lofting has done a great public service without sacrificing a smidgen of the wit and charm that his books are known for. The Doctor Dolittle books are a magic blend of entertainment, fantasy, morality, and scientific method. Children who are exposed to these elements will be the better for it. And the books are so good that getting the entire series will become a top priority. I recommend this book as highly as any children's book out there. As a side note, please don't take the mediocre Eddie Murphy movies as indicative of this series. They have nothing to do with these fine books.

The Story of Doctor Dolittle (which began this series) is unfortunately somewhat racist, rather baldly written, but engaging and inventive. The Circus of Doctor Dolittle, a later book in the series, is a vast improvement, keeping all the charm of the original but omitting the flaws.The plot is more concentrated and has more emotional weight, as Doctor Dolittle becomes entangled with a Circus and attempts to free a performing seal. Their hilarious escape in disguise is one of the most charming incidents in children's fiction.Really a delightful book, lighthearted, but emotionally involving. Note: a 3 star ranking from me is actually pretty good; I reserve 4 stars for tremendously good works, and 5 only for the rare few that are or ought to be classic; unfortunately most books published are 2 or less.

Hilarious fourth Dolittle story has the good-natured vet once again joining Blossom's Mammoth circus to exhibit a freak animal called the pushmi-pullyu,and while doing so,rescues a seal from captivity.Great fast-paced children's writing, though it may not have some your favorite characters from the first three books.Kids will love the ending.It is hard to understand why such a good book should be out of print.