Joan Proctor was an early 20th-century herpetologist at the British Natural History Museum and London Zoo. Without much formal education in science, she developed a passion for studying reptiles and amphibians early on in life. A sickly child, her best friend was her pet crocodile! She was able to take advantage of the vacancies left by men during WWI to enter into the profession. She was truly passionate about her creatures and made the London Zoo a better place. The book contains a biography a...

Read this aloud in K-3 and tie into NGSS; also use as a mentor text for students in grades 3-5. A delightful (and well written) narrative about the life of a curious woman. There's so many ways you could use this with students. In grades k-3, I'd read aloud and then read aloud again, stopping to pose questions for student-led discussions. NOTE - I would let young students know that this is written about a girl who lived a hundred years ago in a very different time and (perhaps) place. This is no...

Now with regard to picture book biographies, I always tend to check if there is an author's note included and yes to usually read this first (as well as to check if the book in question also presents a suitable bibliography). And indeed, when I perused the excellent and informatively detailed supplemental note in Patricia Valdez' Joan Procter, Dragon Doctor: The Woman Who Loved Reptiles (and noticed the for a picture book quite extensive bibliography), I was both excited to read the author's mai...

This inspiring story about a woman scientist hits just the right notes. From the first page, where the author writes, "while other girls read stories about dragons and princesses, Joan read books about lizards and crocodiles," the reader wants to find out what happens next. And the book comes full circle with the type of dragon Joan eventually loves. The illustrations perfectly complement the story. This book is a winner and will be a wonderful addition to a home or school library.

This was a HUGE hit with my animal-obsessed preschooler. It discusses the career and accomplishments of a pioneering herpetologist in a kid-friendly and humorous way. Procter’s chronic illness and wheelchair use are also touched upon. The back matter provides valuable biographical information for parents/older kids, as well as scientific background on Komodo dragons. I enjoyed the lively illustrations, although at times the style seemed a bit flat and inconsistent — some illustrations are much m...

SO cool! I feel like picture book biographies are really popular right now, and there are tons of great ones being published. I am learning about so many people I have never even heard of before!

"Back in the days of long skirts and afternoon teas, a little girl named Joan Proctor entertained the most unusual party guests. Slithery and scaly, they turned over teacups. They crawled past the crumpets."I loved this story about Joan Proctor, the little girl of Edwardian England who studied and loved her pet lizards and grew up to be the first female curator of the Reptile House at the London Zoo. This story gave me a wonderful sense of what made Joan unique and special and I so wished I coul...

As a child, Londoner Joan Proctor didn't love parties and dances, she loved lizards and snakes. A stunning biography on a remarkable woman who rocked the science world and sadly died entirely too soon.

I definitely have mixed feelings about the illustrations. I like the vivacity of them, the attempt to make history less musty and dusty. But I also agree with those of you who have said that the reptiles should look more realistic because after all Procter was a scientist and realistically (and beautifully) painted her subjects herself. Also, when thinking about the time period of 'long skirts' why does 16 yo Joan look like she's a child, wearing a short dress walking her crocodile... and the n...

I have complicated and unfortunate thoughts about this book. There are scenes of Joan with wild reptiles on leashes and in zoo enclosures that she designed. I am wholeheartedly against the imprisonment of animals for human fascination. Unfortunately, this book really promotes that. It also contributes to the notion that wild animals make good pets, as Joan was given a baby crocodile for her birthday and later in life takes walks with her Komodo dragon. I can appreciate the passion for animals an...

I loved the story! The illustrations were wonderful. [Only two things bothered me. When Joan is 16 she receives a baby crocodile. The illustration makes Joan look like a seven year old! On the facing page is an illustration of Joan taking that same crocodile to school. The two students who are crouching close to see it also look like young children, not women from a high school class]. A delightful book that I think many kids would enjoy. It is also an inspiring story for girls who may wish to p...

As part of a Science crossover for a thematic unit on reptiles, I selected the following Twin Text. Nonfiction book- Joan Procter, Dragon Doctor: The Woman Who Loved Reptiles by Patricia Valdez. Fiction book- The Reptile Club by Maureen Fergus. I chose to pair these two books because they both cover the topic of reptiles. The biography of Joan Procter describes her love of reptiles as having a “passion for reptiles.” These exact same words are used to describe the main character in the fiction b...

One of the best picture book biographies I have ever read. A compelling subject, entertaining and extremely well researched and written. The illustrations are magnificent. There is even an actual photo of Joan with her pet alligator included. Phenomenal!

This review was originally written for The Baby Bookworm. Visit us for new picture books reviews daily!Hello, friends! Our book today is Joan Procter, Dragon Doctor: The Woman Who Loved Reptiles, written by Patricia Valdez and illustrated by Felicita Sala, the story of the notable herpetologist and researcher.From childhood, Joan loved nothing more than spending time with her reptiles. Snakes, turtles, lizards, and the baby crocodile she was given for her birthday; Joan loved the quiet, intellig...

3.5 stars. I always like picture book biographies that introduce me to people I haven't heard of, and this one fits the bill. However, it has some issues. Joan Proctor had health issues that led to her not being able to attend school, eventually put her in a wheelchair, and killed her at a young age. But all of this is not addressed in the book, except very indirectly. There is also nothing mentioned about how it might not be a great idea to have an alligator for a pet. It is just a cool thing t...

JOAN PROCTER, DRAGON DOCTOR (written by Patricia Valdez, illustrated by Felicita Sala, published by Alfred A. Knopf). When I saw the cover and title for this book, I thought I would like it, but it was when I saw the endpapers that I KNEW I would love it. With “dragon” in the title, I hadn’t initially realized that this was a biography of a “trailblazing woman of science, who was an international sensation in her time and whose legacy paved the way for female zoologist around the world”. However...

The biographies written for children today are wonderful and far more interesting than anything I came across in my childhood back in the 1970s.I had never heard of Joan Proctor before and I learned a lot about her passion and accomplishments during her short life.The narrative is short enough to keep a younger child's attention, but still filled with information about this herpetological pioneer.The illustrations are colorful and cartoonish; the people's faces are very expressive. And I love th...

I'm so pleased that publishers are bringing out lots of absorbing and delightful children's books about women who had an impact on science and/or history. Joan Procter made valuable contributions to science even though she had a chronic illness that prevented her from attending university. When she was a little girl, she had a pet baby crocodile that she used to take for walks. When she was an adult, she used to take walks with a Komodo dragon who had bonded with her.

A hero for any nerdy girl, so a hero for me.

Joan Proctor was allowed to lead a magical life because her parents saw her passion for reptiles and let her nurture it. Thanks to Patricia Valdez we now can learn about this amazing, but brief, life. Born in 1897 in London, England when girls were supposed to be content with tea parties, she had her parties with pet lizards and snakes and brought her favorite, a large Dalmatian lizard, everywhere. She suffered from a chronic intestinal illness, so missed a lot of school but like a scientist, sh...