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IGUANA  •  VOLUME 11, NUMBER 1  •  MARCH 2004 61BOOK REVIEWS

book should attract the broadest readership because all of the
topics included are applicable to reptiles and animals other than
iguanid lizards.

The book is well-produced, with a solid binding, tight edit-
ing, and a general absence of typographical errors. The tables
and graphical illustrations are uniformly unambiguous and
informative, and the black and white photographs are clearly
reproduced. A small complaint: reproducing some of the latter
in color would have been nice. Although the volume had its ori-
gins in a symposium held over six years prior to publication, the
chapters are remarkably up-to-date, and this distinguishes it
from many other symposium volumes that have seen long delays
between the oral presentations and publication. Of the 906 ref-
erences in the Literature Cited, 218 (24%) were published in
1998 or later, the most recent in 2003. In fact, for students of
iguanid biology, the Literature Cited section will be a treasure.

I have only one major complaint about the book: the title,
Iguanas: Biology and Conservation, is misleading. The bulk of the
book (and the entire section on conservation) concerns West
Indian iguanas, primarily a few species of Cyclura. Fijian Iguanas
are barely mentioned, only one (of five) species of Chuckwallas
is discussed in detail, and none of the 17 species of Spiny-tailed
Iguanas are addressed beyond their inclusion in the checklist.

This may reflect the origins of the book in a symposium held in
1997, when Mexican biologists were just beginning to study var-
ious aspects of the biology of Spiny-tailed Iguanas, or it may
reflect the interests of the editors, all of whom have emphasized
West Indian Rock Iguanas in their own research, or both.
Regardless, the book would have benefited from contributions
on, at least, the conservation status of a broader range of iguanid
genera and species. As it stands, subtitling the book “Biology and
Conservation with Emphasis on the West Indies and the Galápagos”
might have been appropriate. In this one respect, the new book
does not match its predecessor.

Like the Burghardt and Rand volume, this book is
intended primarily for the professional biologist who studies
lizards, but it will be of interest to others as well. Private breed-
ers of iguanas will find much useful information in the chapters
on ecology and behavior. Conservation biologists and, indeed,
anyone with an interest in these fascinating lizards will find the
chapters on conservation interesting and informative. Hopefully,
in a decade or so, a third volume in this budding series will more
fully acknowledge the diversity within the family Iguanidae.

Arthur C. Echternacht
University of Tennessee

Johnston, Tony. 1995. The Iguana Brothers: A Tale of Two
Lizards. Illustrated by Mark Teague. Blue Sky Press, New York,
New York. 30 pp. Cloth, $15.95.
Laden, Nina. 1995. Private I. Guana: The Case of the Missing
Chameleon. Illustrated by the author. Chronicle Books, San
Francisco, California. 26 pp. Softcover, $5.95.
Krailing, Tessa. 1998. The Pet Sitter’s Club 8: Where’s Iggy.
Illustrated by Jan Lewis. Barron’s Educational Series, Inc.,
Hauppauge, New York. 94 pp. Softcover, $3.95.
Snicket, Lemony. 1999. A Series of Unfortunate Events, Book 2:
The Reptile Room. Illustrated by Brett Helquist. HarperCollins
Publishers Inc., New York, New York. 191 pp. Cloth, $10.99.
Wiebe, Trina. 2000. Abby and Tess Pet sitters: Lizards Don’t Wear
Lip Gloss. Illustrated by Marisol Sarrazin. Lobster Press,
Montreal, Quebec. 91 pp. Softcover, $5.95.

As both a student and a fan of children’s literature, I have
long been fascinated by its ability to shape the imagination

of readers young and old. I recently had the opportunity to
spend some time in the children’s book section of a well-stocked
bookstore, where I came across a number of reptile-related works
of fiction, which provide some very different representations of
their animal subjects.

Two of these books were quite similar, featuring groups of
children who are “pet-sitting” reptiles that escape from their
enclosures. In Where’s Iggy?, published in the UK, the iguana
named in the title seems well cared for, housed in a large terrar-
ium in a greenhouse and outfitted with a heat lamp, a climbing
branch, and a water tray. However, the owner of the lizard
instructs the children that Iggy “doesn’t eat a lot, mainly cabbage
leaves and bananas … and crickets.” So, where’s Iggy? His loca-

Iguanas in Wonderland:
The Depiction of Reptiles in 

Children’s Literature

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tion seems irrelevant, since the thyroid problems, calcium-phos-
phorus imbalance, and liver and kidney diseases caused by his
poor diet and lack of UV light are sure to lead to an early
demise.

The reptile featured in Lizards Don’t Wear Lip Gloss, a
Canadian publication, is a Green Anole, whose husbandry is
much more appropriate. Angus, the anole, lives in a well-
appointed vivarium, with a heat lamp and a fluorescent UV
tube, and the children are clearly informed that “Angus needs
the vitamins the UV rays provide.” The statement, “all lizards
eat a diet that consists mainly of live insects,” neglects herbivores,
but at least the setup and diet described for Angus’s crickets is
suitable.

The plots of these books center on lizards escaping from
their enclosures while the children struggle with crickets. In both
cases, subsequent to the involvement of assorted rescue profes-
sionals, the animals are found perched on objects close to their
habitats. Given the frequency with which pet owners need to be
retrained in proper reptile care, I was disappointed at the incor-
rect and incomplete animal care information provided in these
realistic stories.

Another pair of books features iguanas as primary charac-
ters. Private I. Guana: The Case of the Missing Chameleon, is a
tongue-in-cheek tale of a hard-boiled detective hired by Lizzy, a
chameleon, to find her missing husband, Leon. After searching
“over fields, under rocks and up trees,” Mr. Guana ends up at
the Lizard Lounge, “a slimy place where only the most cold-
blooded reptiles hang out.” As it turns out, Leon has been work-

ing in drag at the Lizard Lounge, singing as “Camille” with the
“Gila Girls,” because he needed to express his “wild side.” The
illustrations by the author are hilarious and worth the price of
the book. My personal favorite is of I. Guana at the Lizard
Lounge with Sally(mander) the waitress, who, naturally, is asked,
“what’s a nice amphibian like you doing in a place like this?”

The Iguana Brothers: A Tale of Two Lizards features broth-
ers Dom and Tom as they contemplate the philosophy of life.
Dom is convinced by Tom to give up eating bugs because they
will make him thin and pale and cause his tail to drop off. They
further reject pigs and snakes and finally settle on a diet of flow-
ers. Dom and Tom convince themselves that they are as mighty
as dinosaurs, but end up rejecting rule of the stars for their own
earthly kingdom and each other’s friendship. A simple but pos-
itive story line, brought to life by Mark Teague’s delightful illus-
trations, I was pleased to learn that the iguana brother’s tale is to
be made into an animated film.

Although no iguanas appear in the story, my favorite
among the books in this review is A Series of Unfortunate Events,
Book 2: The Reptile Room, in which a very endearing herpetolo-
gist is a major character. The ten books that have so far been
published in the series involve three orphan children, who are
sent to live with assorted guardians in increasingly more
appalling situations while they try to solve the mystery sur-
rounding their parents’ untimely deaths. The redundantly
named Dr. Montgomery Montgomery is a famous herpetolo-
gist, who loves to make coconut cream cake. The Reptile Room
itself contains a fantastic collection of animals, including the
Alaskan Cow Lizard, a long green creature that produces deli-
cious milk, the Dissonant Toad, the Irascible Python, and the
Virginian Wolfsnake, which must “never under any circum-
stances [be allowed] near a typewriter.” Despite his warning to
the children that “no harm will come to them” in the Reptile
Room, “if [they] take the time to learn the facts,” the unfortu-
nate scientist is murdered by arch-villain, Count Olaf, who
injects him with venom from the Mamba du Mal.

62 IGUANA  •  VOLUME 11, NUMBER 1  •  MARCH 2004 BOOK REVIEWS



IGUANA  •  VOLUME 11, NUMBER 1  •  MARCH 2004 63BOOK REVIEWS

The series is quite clever and features humorous wordplay
and some very adult literary references as well as an intriguing
mystery. The latter actually involves the true identity of the
author, Lemony Snicket, and his relationship to the children in
the novels. Starting with “the Reptile Room,” I found myself
charmed by the characters and their misfortunes, and proceeded
through the other nine volumes in the series, all of which are
appealingly illustrated by Brett Helquist. The mystery of what
became of Uncle Monty’s reptile collection has yet to be solved,
and I eagerly await the next installment. Like any of the best
children’s literature, I can certainly recommend this series to
readers of any age.

Private I. Guana orders a plate of fried grasshoppers at the
Lizard Lounge, however, he wears a trench coat and two-toned
patent leather shoes, and is clearly not a real iguana. I feel much
more inclined to forgive Ms. Laden for her portrayal than I do
Ms. Krailing, whose “Iggy” is depicted as a real pet. Sadly, sup-
posedly legitimate iguana care manuals are still advocating dog
food and monkey chow for pet iguanas, but no legitimate excuse
exists for perpetuating harmful information. Bugs, as Dom tells
Tom, will indeed leave an iguana “thin and pale.” My highest
recommendation goes to the mysterious Mr. Snicket. Although

Snicket’s reptiles are fairly preposterous, his herpetologist char-
acter embodies noble virtues: a good education, good manners,
humor, and fondness and respect for animals.

AJ Gutman


