Tommy Stubbins had big dreams. He dreamt of one day visiting faraway lands and seeing the world. But for now, his life was in Puddleby, where nothing much exciting happened.
"Tommy, take these to Colonel Bellowes. And be quick about it!" his father urged.
Tommy’s father was the shoemaker in Puddleby. He wanted Tommy to follow in his footsteps. But Tommy was not interested in fixing shoes.
People like Colonel Bellowes upset him. "Your shoes, sir," Tommy said, smiling. The colonel rudely grabbed the shoes. Tommy wanted to kick the door.
Fortunately, before Tommy could do that, a sound caught his attention. He found a wounded squirrel. Tommy was not fond of mean men like the Colonel, but he did love animals.
"You poor thing," he said gently. He could not see what was causing the squirrel pain.
Tommy decided to take the squirrel home. Along the way, he ran into Matthew, a friendly old man he knew.
"What have you got there, Tommy?" Matthew pointed.
"A squirrel, but I don’t know what’s wrong with it," he answered.
"You need to see Dr. Dolittle," Matthew advised.
"Who is he? Is he a vet?" asked Tommy.
Matthew looked shocked. "He’s better than a vet!" he exclaimed. "One time, my duck Lulu was sick, so I took her to see the doctor."
"What was the matter with her?" Tommy asked.
"Be patient. I’m getting to that part." Matthew cleared his throat. "John Dolittle used to be a human doctor, but he realized he wanted to help animals."
"Like me! I like helping animals, too."
"Do you want to hear this story or not?" Matthew sighed loudly.
"Oops! Sorry," Tommy apologized.
"Not only does Dr. Dolittle help animals," Matthew said, then lowered his voice mysteriously, "but he can speak their language, too!"
"What?!" Tommy shouted.
Matthew told Tommy the whole story. Dr. Dolittle had examined Matthew’s duck.
"You have a very bad throat," the doctor had told Lulu. "You mustn’t quack so loudly."
"But I can’t help it! Those cows keep coming to my pond!" quacked Lulu.
"Dr. Dolittle and the duck talked to each other?" Tommy could not believe it.
Matthew nodded. "They made strange clucking sounds."
"Could you understand it?" asked Tommy.
Matthew shook his head. "No, I don’t have the gift. Dr. Dolittle had to explain to me what they talked about."
Then, Matthew said, the doctor wrote something on a slip of paper.
"Lulu, I’m going to give this to Matthew," the doctor said.
"What is it?" quacked Lulu.
"Every day you must drink juice made of barley, grass, onions, and carrots," Dr. Dolittle explained.
"Yuck! Quack!" shrieked Lulu.
"Lulu!" Dr. Dolittle said sternly.
"Uh, doctor, is she all right?" Matthew was worried.
"Yes, Matthew. Just make sure she drinks this juice every day," said the doctor.
"Did the juice work?" Tommy wanted to know.
"Lulu was back to normal in a few days," Matthew replied. Matthew began walking again. Tommy walked beside him.
"I wonder if he can help this squirrel?" Tommy asked hopefully.
"John Dolittle can do it," said Matthew. "But I’m afraid he’s not here right now."
"Where is he?" Tommy asked.
"Well, he’s on a voyage, of course. He loves to travel the world!" Matthew exclaimed. Tommy’s eyes got bright.
"I wonder if one day I can travel with him?" he said aloud. Unknown to Tommy, his wish would soon come true.