Doctor John Dolittle is the central character of a series of children's books by Hugh Lofting starting with The Story of Doctor Dolittle. He is a physician who shuns human patients in favor of animals and can speak in their own languages. As his fame in the animal kingdom spreads throughout the world. He is called to Africa to cure a monkey epidemic. This excerpt covers their journey to Africa. This e-book is available in the public domain and is a good read for 5th graders.