Written by: Aiden Man Nhuchhe Pradhan - 32028, Grade V
Posted on: 25 October, 2024
The story begins with a boy named Tommy Stubbins, who lives in Puddleby. His father, Jacob Stubbins, is the cobbler of Puddleby. Due to his family’s lack of money, Tommy doesn’t go to school. He has three great friends: Joe, the mussel man; Matthew Mugg, the cat’s meat man; and Luke, the hermit.
One day, while Tommy is walking in the wild, he sees an eagle attacking a squirrel. Fortunately, when the eagle sees Tommy, it flies away, and the squirrel is saved. However, the squirrel has a broken leg, so Tommy decides to take it home to care for it until he can find someone to mend its leg. He tries to get help from Joe, but Joe doesn’t know how to fix the leg. However, Joe tells him about someone who might help – Doctor Dolittle.
Tommy asks Matthew where to find the Doctor (since Matthew knows everyone in Puddleby), and Matthew takes him to Doctor Dolittle’s house, explaining a bit about the Doctor along the way. Unfortunately, Doctor Dolittle is away on a voyage, so he isn’t home. Tommy visits the Doctor's house daily for a week, but each time, he’s disappointed. One day, while running errands, Tommy decides to check the Doctor's house again. It starts raining, and on his way back, he bumps into a man wearing a tall black hat and coat. Tommy asks if he’s Doctor Dolittle – and he is!
Tommy stays with Doctor Dolittle for the day and keeps visiting him regularly. The Doctor can speak the languages of many animals, including dogs, cats, and even eagles. He shows Tommy his zoo and garden. Tommy grows so fond of Doctor Dolittle that he decides he wants to be a naturalist when he grows up. Astonishingly, Tommy’s parents agree to let him live with the Doctor for two years, as long as the Doctor teaches Tommy to read and write.
Soon, one of Tommy’s friends, Luke the hermit, is accused of murder. With the Doctor's help, they prove Luke’s innocence, and he avoids jail. Afterward, Tommy and Doctor Dolittle set off on a voyage to Spider Monkey Island. They face many challenges along the way, like a broken ship and even a bullfight. When they finally reach the island, several important events take place, including a war, the Doctor becoming the island's king, and saving Long Arrow, a naturalist like the Doctor. Before they leave, Doctor Dolittle meets the Great Glass Sea Snail and receives seeds from Long Arrow to share with doctors around the world.
After travelling through the Great Glass Sea Snail’s shell, they finally return home. Two years have passed since the start of their voyage. In the end, Doctor Dolittle achieves his goal of learning shellfish language, while Tommy fulfils his dreams of learning to read and write and going on a voyage at sea.
