After a three-year voyage, Doctor Dolittle sets his Puddlesby garden to rights and and makes it the site of an animal-run zoo. With the help of his friends, he also tackles a mystery at nearby Moorsden Manor.

The adventures of a kind-hearted doctor, who is fond of animals and understands their language. Seeing that many of his animal friends want to live with him, Dr. Dolittle changes his zoo collection from rather unusual animals to native ones and immediately runs into trouble.

Doctor Dolittle heads for the high seas in perhaps the most amazing adventure ever experienced by man or animal. Told by nine-and-a-half-year-old Tommy Stubbins, crewman and future naturalist, the voyages of Doctor Dolittle and his company lead them to Spidermonkey Island. Along with his faithful friends, Polynesia the parrot and Chee-Chee the monkey, Doctor Dolittle survives a perilous shipwreck and lands on the mysterious floating island. There he meets the wondrous Great Glass See Snail who holds the key to the greatest mystery of all.

Just in time for the major motion picture Dolittle starring Robert Downey Jr.—soaring into theaters on January 17, 2020! Journey into the world of Doctor Dolittle, the kind and eccentric naturalist who can speak with animals. Working with original author Hugh Lofting’s son, these books have been fully updated for the modern reader, all while retaining the full charm of the originals. Rediscover the children’s literature classic with three novels from the beloved series! The Doctor has returned home at last to Puddleby-on-the-Marsh. In Doctor Dolittle’s Zoo, he immediately sets to work expanding his menagerie, including a home for crossbred dogs. This brings with it a multitude of tales, all related in Doctor Dolittle’s Puddleby Adventures, including a mystery solved by Kling, the Dog Detective. Finally, in Doctor Dolittle’s Garden the Doctor delves into the languages of insects, culminating in a surprise visit from the Giant Lunar Moth!

The story begins with Doctor John Dolittle who is looking for some money to earn to pay off a voyage to Africa. The Doctor's idea is to get the Pushmi-Pullyu into the circus but he couldn't find one until Mathew Mugg suggest a small business circus owned by the ring master Blossum. The Doctor visits Blossum and persuades him to visit his house in Puddleby to discuss the payment and rules of the Pushmi-Pullyu before its performance in the circus. The Performance goes well after the Pushmi-Pullyu is put into the show and the doctor starts earning but he also discovers the animals who are in need of their cages cleaned which Blossum doesn't co-operate with when the doctor suggests some new ways to look after the animals. The doctor then meets Sophie the Alaskan seal, who is owned by Mr Higgins and she explains to him while crying that she misses her husband Slushy who is the alpha seal so the Doctor plans an escape for Sophie. When the night comes for the escape Doctor Dolittle waits in the street while Mathew and Jip get Sophie out of the circus but the guards shut the gate before the seal came make a break for it so Mathew and his wife Theodosia distract them by luring them to Sophie's tank and pushing them in. The whole circus goes into pandemonium when they see the disappearance of Mr Higgins's seal but Sophie manages to escape eventually while the Doctor becomes worried for waiting too long. When The Doctor and Sophie reach the outskirts of the town Sophie has an idea that if they follow the river they will get to the sea quicker so they consult the ducks who tell them to go to Talbot's Bridge which will lead them to Kippet River all the way to the Bristol Coast.

Doctor Dolittle's Zoo was written and illustrated by Hugh Lofting in 1926. In the book, Doctor Dolittle returns from his voyages and sets his house in order. This includes expanding his zoo to include a home for crossbred dogs and a club for rodents. The doctor also takes time to solve a mystery with the aid of Kling, the Dog Detective.

The animals in Dr. Dolittle's zoo tell their stories.