2019 Reprint of 1922 Edition. The scope of the novel is vast; it is divided into six parts and won the Newbery Medal for 1923. Doctor John Dolittle, the veterinarian who can actually talk to animals, sets sail on the high seas for new adventures. Accompanied by his young friend Tommy Stubbins and the beloved animals of his household -- Polynesia the parrot, Jip the dog, and Chee-Chee the monkey -- the doctor is off to forbidding Spidermonkey Island to examine the rare jabizri beetle.