Joan Procter, Dragon Doctor tells the story of a self-taught herpetologist who transformed the ways reptiles are displayed in zoos and helped introduce the Komodo Dragon to the Western world. The book starts and ends with proper British tea parties, but since these are parties that Procter participates in, they are also reptile tea parties.

I loved the lively voice and the alliteration in the book–“gawked at the geckos, peered at the pythons, marveled at the monitors.”

The book does an especially good job of making the case for loving reptiles. We see Procter spend time with them, examine them, and love them. I think even the reptile-phobic would be won over by Valdez’ account of Procter’s passion for the creatures.

The back matter includes a couple of entrancing black and white photos of Joan Procter and a hefty bibliography, which includes many newspaper and magazine articles from the 1920s and 1930s.

I found the art by Felicita Sala gorgeous and an easy way into the story. The book has some of my favorite endpapers–a tea table scene, but with reptiles.

This is a book for everyone, not just reptile lovers.

Joan Procter, Dragon Doctor: The Woman Who Loved Reptiles by Patricia Valdez, illustrated by Felicita Sala. Knopf: 2018.

Alyson Beecher hosts the Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge at kidlitfrenzy.com. Visit there for more great nonfiction picture books!