Joan Procter, Dragon Doctor: The Woman Who Loved Reptiles

I've been reading many picture book biographies lately, and this one definitely stands out. Joan Proctor loved reptiles as a child--studying them, caring for them, watching them, even having tea parties with them! As an adult, she became the first female curator at the Reptile House of the London Zoo. She did a lot of work with Komodo dragons. They were highly misunderstood at the time, and she introduced them to the world as the gentle creatures they are. In her short life, Joan became world renowned for her work. The pictures are wonderful--very colorful, unique, and fun. And there are so many elements that would appeal to children, all written in such an engaging way: The tea parties with lizards (that deserves two mentions)! The "fearsome" Komodo dragons. Her pet crocodile when she was just 16. And the surgeries she performed on the lizards. Joan Proctor was a fascinating woman, and I'm excited for young readers to get to know her better!

This is a delightful picture book biography about a resilient, bright woman who followed her dreams at a time when women weren't usually allowed to do that. Joan Procter became a scientist against all kinds of odds, following her passion for reptiles and in particular the Komodo dragon. . .the illustrations are gorgeous and well suited to the text and the author handles well the balance of uplifting information with the challenges (Joan's chronic illness and premature death). It's a great read-aloud and one that kids will want to flip through on their own to revisit the colorful portraits of the reptiles. I highly recommend this book.

My granddaughter has a spotted gecko and loves dragon lizards and dragons in general so this book was a no-brainer for her best Christmas present ever. The information about Joan Proctor was intriguing and the illustrations made the story come to life. Her perseverance and success as the first woman to head the reptile exhibit at the London Zoo proved that smart ambitious women can achieve milestones in their career. Great book for animal lovers.

Joan Proctor, Dragon Doctor is my favorite non-fiction kids book of all time! An extremely well written and beautifully illustrated account of a girl that wasn’t like the rest. (Also an example of a girl that struggled with health issues and still lived to the fullest). I’ll be gifting this book to my child’s teacher soon!

Daughter liked the book so much, she had me come in to read it to her class.They enjoyed it and the illustrations, too.One boy asked if it was really a true story?

This book was difficult to get a hold of for my school library, but it was worth it. This is a great story of a girl who went against the grain her whole life, led the way in reptile study, and broke several barriers for women.

My 6 year old daughter loves reptiles, especially snakes. I do not love them but am trying to encourage her interest. This book is a lovely story about a woman who turns her "peculiar" interests into a thriving and rewarding career.

Engaging writing. Gorgeous art. Informative backmatter. I loved this biography of Joan Procter, a young herpetologist at the London Zoo.

I have to admit that I had never heard of Joan Proctor, I just found the cover and the title appealing. Imagine my surprise to find that not only is she pretty famous but most of her work was at London zoo. The reptile house mentioned is one I have visited many times and I have never seen any signs about Joan Proctor's role in it. I will have to look more closely next time!There is a well-known lack of picture books about women in STEM (confirmed recently in a 2018 Journal of Science & Popular Culture article) so it is refreshing to read one about a woman from long ago working in a field that is easy for children to understand. Making it even better for London based children, it would be possible to read this book in advance of a London zoo trip and then follow in Joan Proctor's footsteps.The book is colourful and easy to read. Joan Proctor's health and early death are mentioned but not dwelled on and there is useful further information at the back.

There are very few of Joan Procter's illustrations included (even though she is famous for them), however it is good to be introducing younger generations to scientists from the past. Unfortunately this version seems to imply such success can only be achieved by single minded pursuit at the expense of every other activity that a child might be interested in.

Really interesting story with lovely illustrations

Arrived as described,also very fast shipping! Thank you!

Brilliant