47 pages 1 hour read

Hugh Lofting

The Story of Doctor Dolittle

Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 1920

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Chapters 6-10Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapter 6 Summary: “Polynesia and the King”

Doctor Dolittle and his companions travel through a thick forest and reach the King’s palace, made of mud. They meet the King, Queen Ermintrude, and their son, Prince Bumpo. The King, initially hostile, explains his mistrust of strangers due to an experience where he was kind to a visitor who later caused trouble.

Although Doctor Dolittle explains his mission to cure the sick monkeys, the king imprisons him and his animals in the dungeon. Polynesia, the clever parrot, devises a plan to escape. She sneaks into the palace, impersonating Dolittle and claiming to have the power to make the whole kingdom sick with a lift of a finger, fooling the king into releasing the prisoners. The plan succeeds, and the doctor and his animal companions escape. The king, realizing he has been tricked, is furious but finds he’s too late to stop them. Doctor Dolittle and his friends are free and continue their journey.

Chapter 7 Summary: “The Bridge of Apes”

Doctor Dolittle and his animals run through the forest toward the Land of the Monkeys to escape the king’s soldiers. Gub-Gub, the pig, struggles to keep up due to his short legs, but Chee-Chee, the monkey, and Polynesia, the parrot, lead them through the jungle efficiently.