Doctor Dolittle's Caravan

Doctor Dolittle's Caravan
Author(s)	Hugh Lofting
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English
Series	Doctor Dolittle
Genre(s)	Children's novel
Publisher	Lippincott
Publication date	1924
Media type	Print (Hardback & Paperback)
ISBN	NA
Preceded by	Doctor Dolittle's Zoo
Followed by	Doctor Dolittle's Garden

Doctor Dolittle's Caravan is a novel written by Hugh Lofting and published in 1924 by Lippincott. It deals with the titular character's bird opera, centering around a female green canary named Pippinella. It is one of many books Hugh Lofting authored about Doctor John Dolittle.

Plot summary

Pippinella is special in that she possesses what is generally assumed to be an exclusive trait of male canaries: birdsong. Ultimately, Doctor Dolittle creates a "Canary Opera" (using canaries and other bird species as well), based on Pippinella's life story. This opera, jointly composed by both the Doctor and Pippinella, becomes an overwhelming success in London.

The novel disrupts the chronological order of the series, with events occurring between Doctor Dolittle's Circus and The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle despite the book's publication between Doctor Dolittle's Zoo and Doctor Dolittle's Garden. This book is the follow-up to Doctor Dolittle's Circus, for the Doctor (at this point in time) is still operating the circus he inherited from the runaway former owner, Albert Blossom. Pippinella's eventual fate, and Doctor Dolittle's final adventures with her, are ultimately revealed in the much later book, Doctor Dolittle and the Green Canary.

References

article