The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle is the second Doctor Dolittle book. The first, The Story of Doctor Dolittle, describes Dolittle's becoming an animal doctor, learning to speak animal language, traveling to Africa to cure sick monkeys, fighting pirates, and saving a boy's uncle who was abandoned by the pirates on a rocky island. It establishes the pattern of a doctor who cares for animals and travels on fantastic voyages. The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle is a longer and more artistic work. It adds poetry and a more complex point of view. It also introduces the character Tommy Stubbins, who will narrate the rest of the books.

The popularity of the Doctor Dolittle books inspired Lofting to continue writing them until his death, his most prolific period being from 1920 to 1928.

Dolittle's adventures take him on caravans, to circuses, and even to the moon. All of...