Joan Procter, Dragon Doctor by Patricia Valdez illustrated by Felicita Sala

"They gawked at the geckos. They peered at the pythons. 

And they marvelled at the monitors."

As a young child Joan Beauchamp Procter was fascinated by reptiles. Her curiosity about these, often strange creatures, led her to read lots of books and also to collect small lizards so she could observe them. 

She loved to visit the Natural History museum in London and eventually became an assistant to the curator and later she took over his duties. Enormous Komodo dragons were of special interest to Joan and she was invited to design an custom enclosure at the London Zoo for two Komodo dragons which were sent from Indonesia. In 1928 Joan presented a scientific paper about these curious creatures to the Zoological Society. This is significant firstly because of the topic; then because the paper was delivered by a woman when almost all of the scientific world was male; and thirdly we have a girl (now a woman) who is interested in reptiles - a topic not usually associated with women especially in the 1920s. While all of this is important, I do like the way none of this is sensationalised in this biography. Reading about a young girl who loves reptiles is presented in a natural, almost matter of fact way.

Image Source: Science.org

Publisher Blurb Andersen Press: Back in the days of long skirts and afternoon teas, young Joan Procter entertained the most unusual party guests: slithery and scaly ones, who turned over teacups and crawled past the crumpets... While other girls played with dolls, Joan preferred the company of reptiles. She carried her favourite lizard with her everywhere - she even brought a crocodile to school! When Joan grew older, she became the Curator of Reptiles at the Natural History Museum. She went on to design the Reptile House at the London Zoo, including a home for the rumoured-to-be-vicious komodo dragons. There, just like when she was a little girl, Joan hosted children's tea parties - with her komodo dragon as the guest of honour. With a lively text and vibrant illustrations, scientist and writer Patricia Valdez and illustrator Felicita Sala bring to life Joan Procter's inspiring story of passion and determination.

Read more about Komodo dragons on the National Geographic kids web site. And at the San Diego Zoo page. 

The library I visit each week has a fabulous comprehensive collection of picture book biographies for the youngest readers. Every time I borrow one of these books I discover people who have done such interesting things and people who I may never have found if it were not for these terrific books. In US schools the genre of biography is explicitly taught and so publishers have taken advantage of this and that is why so many very high quality picture book biographies have emerged in recent years. 

One word-inspirational. Joan found her passion at a young age and proved her worth as a woman scientist. This book follows her journey of finding her reptilian passion and demonstrating perseverance in her personal and professional journey. In this biography, the reader learns about a scientist who not only studies animals, but also diagnoses and treats them to their best health. Overall, a must add to your library and future read alouds for all readers. Latinxs in Kid Lit

You can see other books illustrated by Felicity Sala here. And here are some of the illustrations from this book too. Here is an interview with the author Patricia Valdez about the writing of this book.