Hugh Lofting was a significant figure in British children's literature, renowned for creating the beloved character of Dr. Dolittle. Born in Maidenhead, England, Lofting was the son of English and Irish parents. He received his early education at Mount St. Mary's College in Sheffield before traveling extensively as a civil engineer. When World War I broke out, Lofting enlisted in the Irish Guards and served in the trenches. To shield his children from the harsh realities of war, he began writing them imaginative letters, which would later become the foundation for his successful Doctor Dolittle novels.
Lofting was trained as a civil engineer and completed his degree at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He married three times and had three children, one of whom, Christopher, is the executor of his literary estate. Lofting's career as a children's author began during World War I when he wrote letters to his children from the trenches. These letters introduced the character of Dr. Dolittle, a doctor from Puddleby-on-the-Marsh who could speak to animals. The stories were set in early Victorian England and became an instant success. The first book in the series, "The Story of Doctor Dolittle: Being the History of His Peculiar Life at Home and Astonishing Adventures in Foreign Parts Never Before Printed," was published in 1920 and won the Lewis Carroll Shelf Award in 1958. The sequel, "The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle," won Lofting the prestigious Newbery Medal in 1922. In total, Lofting wrote ten Doctor Dolittle books, two of which were published posthumously.
In addition to the Doctor Dolittle series, Lofting wrote several other children's books, including "The Story of Mrs. Tubbs" and "Tommy, Tilly, and Mrs. Tubbs," as well as "Porridge Poetry," a collection of lighthearted poems for children. "Noisy Nora," a cautionary tale about a noisy eater, was published in 1929. "The Twilight of Magic," aimed at older readers, was published in 1930 and illustrated by Lois Lenski. Lofting's only work for adults, "Victory for the Slain," was a single long poem in seven parts about the futility of war. It was published in the United Kingdom in 1942. Lofting's work has been adapted for film, television, stage, and radio, cementing his place as a beloved author of children's literature.