Patricia Valdez

Even as a young child, Joan loved reptiles from lizards to crocodiles and everything in between. Later in life, she had the opportunity to work at the London Zoo, designing and maintaining the Reptile House. Here, she was also able to be one of the first people to seriously study Komodo dragons and learn more about their nature.

This was a very interesting picture book biography. I had been looking forward to reading it, and it did not disappoint. Prior to this, I knew nothing about Joan show more Procter (sad to say, I had never even heard her name), but this helped to correct that. She seemed like a wonderfully intelligent and kind-hearted person. Of course, as a picture book biography, it didn't necessarily go into extreme depth on all aspects of her life. For instance, her chronic illness is only barely mentioned, although undoubtedly it affected much of her day-to-day, especially considering how she died at such a young age.

The illustrations are quite lovely. I'm not sure how to describe them well, but they walk a nice middle ground between muted and bold colors as well as realistic and stylized representation. They certainly catch the eye and make a nice complement to the text. There are also some photographs included with the notes at the back, which explain Joan Procter's life in more detail as well as more facts about Komodo dragons. The final page includes a bibliography and a sample of Joan Procter's original paintings.

This book will likely appeal to many for various reasons, including:
- budding scientists and future veterinarians,
- reptile lovers of all stripes,
- those who like stories about trail-blazing women,
- fans of history/biography in general,
and more. Highly recommend. show less

How to Hear the Universe: Gaby Gonzalez and the Search for Einstein’s Ripples in Space-Time by Patricia Valdez and illustrated by Sara Palacios. This book takes big, complex topics, such as the universe, and makes them understandable to a young audience. A strong female physicist from Argentina follows Einstein’s research into ripples in space-time. She wants to hear the universe. Albert Einstein knew a frog on a lily pad caused ripples when it jumped and wondered if there were ripples show more in space. Gaby Gonzalez wondered if the space-time could be imagined as a large lily pad, since planets follow a curvature around the sun, and if so, when objects move do they cause ripples in space-time that we can hear? And that is what she set out to do, listen to the universe. A wonderful introduction to science through the act of being curious and asking why. “I have no special talents. I am only passionately curious.” Albert Einstein show less

I want to be her when i grow up! All I could think by reading this biography about her is, why have I never heard of Joan Procter. I am speechless about this book, honestly! I had all these same feelings as a child. My first career I wanted as a child was a veterinarian, teaching was my second! This lady got to design a whole reptile house and work first hand with the reptiles, not to mention, walk a Komodo Dragon like it was a dog. Super jealous of this! I can always switch to science! show more Never too late!! show less

What a wonderful story about a wonderful woman. Joan Proctor had a chronic illness. And while it hampered somethings, it did not hamper her love for reptiles. She became an expert and used her expertise to make things better at the London Zoo for all reptiles. Particularly, a set of Komodo Dragons. Her legacy lives on in her research and her friendship with her scaley friends.