Pray to what earth does this sweet cold belong,
Which asks no duties and no conscience?
...Under the hedge, where drift banks are their screen,
The mice now pursue their downy dreams,
As often in the sweltering summer nights
The bee doth drop asleep in the flower cup,
When evening overtakes him with his load.
- Henry David Thoreau
Hugh Lofting was born today in 1886. He's the creator of Dr. Doolittle, and he wrote many more books about that charming man than I knew; from a site I've often found useful, http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/l/hugh-lofting/ :
1. The Story of Doctor Dolittle (1920)
aka Doctor Dolittle
2. The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle (1922)
aka Doctor Dolittle and the Pirates
3. Doctor Dolittle's Post Office (1923)
4. Doctor Dolittle's Circus (1924)
5. Doctor Dolittle's Zoo (1925)
6. Doctor Dolittle's Caravan (1926)
7. Doctor Dolittle's Garden (1927)
8. Doctor Dolittle in the Moon (1928)
9. Gub Gub's Book (1932)
10. Doctor Dolittle's Return (1933)
11. Doctor Dolittle's Birthday Book (1936)
12. Dr Dolittle and the Secret Lake (1948)
13. Doctor Dolittle and the Green Canary (1950)
14. Dr Dolittle's Puddleby Adventures (1952)
There's a cool site you might like, especially if you don't have an e-reader, where you can read books such as a couple Dr. Doolittles, a chapter at a time: http://www.pagebypagebooks.com/
Did you know this author of Dr. Doolittle was himself very intelligent -- he got an engineering degree from MIT!