Doctor Dolittle’s Return is lighter and more comic than other Dolittle books. Tommy Stubbins waits for Doctor Dolittle’s return from the Moon. When the Doctor returns he is anxious to write of what he has experienced. This proves more difficult than expected. The poignancy of the doctor’s lunar experiences is juxtaposed with his hilarious attempts to be put into jail so he will be free of all responsibilities and will be able to write his book.