''Doctor Dolittle's Caravan'' is a novel written by

Hugh Lofting Hugh John Lofting (14 January 1886 – 26 September 1947) was an English American writer trained as a civil engineer, who created the classic children's literature character Doctor Dolittle. The fictional physician to talking animals, based in a ...

and published in 1926 by

Frederick A. Stokes Frederick Abbott Stokes (November 4, 1857 – November 15, 1939) was an American publisher, founder and long-time head of the eponymous Frederick A. Stokes Company. Biography Stokes graduated from Yale Law School in 1879. He worked at Dodd, Mea ...

. It deals with the titular character's bird opera, centering on a female green

canary Canary originally referred to the island of Gran Canaria on the west coast of Africa, and the group of surrounding islands (the Canary Islands). It may also refer to: Animals Birds * Canaries, birds in the genera ''Serinus'' and ''Crithagra'' i ...

named Pippinella. It is one of many books Hugh Lofting authored about

Doctor John Dolittle Doctor John Dolittle is the central character of a series of children's books by Hugh Lofting starting with the 1920 ''The Story of Doctor Dolittle''. He is a physician who shuns human patients in favour of animals, with whom he can speak in the ...

Plot summary

Pippinella is special in that she possesses what is generally assumed to be an exclusive trait of male canaries:

birdsong Bird vocalization includes both bird calls and bird songs. In non-technical use, bird songs are the bird sounds that are melodious to the human ear. In ornithology and birding, songs (relatively complex vocalizations) are distinguished by func ...

. 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 the Regent Theatre, London. He also shuts down a poorly run pet store and receives accolades from

Niccolò Paganini Niccolò (or Nicolò) Paganini (; 27 October 178227 May 1840) was an Italian violinist and composer. He was the most celebrated violin virtuoso of his time, and left his mark as one of the pillars of modern violin technique. His 24 Caprices fo ...

himself. The novel disrupts the chronological order of the series, with events occurring between ''

Doctor Dolittle's Circus ''Doctor Dolittle's Circus'', written by Hugh Lofting and published in 1924 by Frederick A. Stokes, is set in England sometime between the original story and the later voyages narrated by Stubbins. It was one of the novels in the series wh ...

'' and ''

The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle ''The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle'' is the second of Hugh Lofting's Doctor Dolittle books. Published in 1922, the writing style is aimed at a more mature audience and features more sophisticated illustrations than its predecessor. The novel's sc ...

'' despite the book's publication between ''

Doctor Dolittle's Zoo ''Doctor Dolittle's Zoo'' was written and illustrated by Hugh Lofting in 1925. In the book, Doctor Dolittle Doctor John Dolittle is the central character of a series of children's books by Hugh Lofting starting with the 1920 '' The Story o ...

'' 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

External links

{{Doctor Dolittle books Doctor Dolittle books 1926 British novels 1926 fantasy novels British children's novels 1926 children's books Frederick A. Stokes Company books