Hugh Lofting

Bio

(1886-1947) Illustrator, writer of children’s stories. Hugh Lofting was born in Maidenhead, Berkshire, England. He came to America and attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1904-05 to study engineering. He returned to England complete his education at the London Polytechnic in 1906-07. He became a civil engineer and traveled through Africa, the West Indies, and Canada. But, in 1912, he gave up engineering to devote his time to writing, and settled in New York City, eventually marrying there. Lofting enlisted in the British Army in 1916 and served in Flanders and France. While on duty, separated from his family, Lofting would send home letters to his children about a doctor who could speak to his animal patients as well as his human patients. These letters eventually formed a narrative stream, which after the war, were published in 1920 as “The Story of Doctor Dolittle.” The response was incredible, and Lofting began publishing a series of Dr. Dolittle books. In 1922, Lofting was awarded the John Newberry Medal for “the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children.”