Herb, The Vegetarian Dragon - by Jules Bass

Everyone knows that dragons are fearsome, carnivorous, remorseless princess-consumers, right? Until now! Meet Herb, the Vegetarian Dragon, and learn how he brought peace to the dragons and people of Nogard.

A winning tale, warmly and whimsically illustrated, all about accepting others and being true to oneself. (And don't miss Herb's cookbook - Cooking with Herb!)

(9" x 10.5" / 32 pages. Hdbk)

Reviews:

I adore this book, and my five year old delights in it as well. The message is excellent -- some people (and dragons) like to eat meat, some people (and dragons) like to eat veggies, and no one should eat people. I like that it isn't the least bit preachy. I happen to be a vegetarian, and my husband and child are not, and it isn't about one kind of eating being better than another, just different. If you have a "mixed" eating family like mine, or if your meat eating child has vegetarian friends, or your vegetarian child has meat eating friends, or if you enjoy any well-written, well-illustrated children's book, then this book belongs on your shelf.
 

We received this book as a gift and it has become one of my 4-year-old daughter's favorites. Rarely do we agree so enthusiastically about a bedtime story! She goes for Disney, I go for Robert McClosky. Further, it has stood the test of time (18 months). This is an eternity for a 4 year old. No other book has been such a perennial favorite. I think I have read this book to her about 250 times over the past 18 months. The crazy thing is I enjoy it every time. Because the pictures are so detailed, you often see something you missed on previous reads. It is a fairy tale, so I say to those who are quick to attack it as not having enough meaning for Vegetarians or being gruesome, they are missing the point. It is harmless and entertaining. Kids really enjoy it. And I teaches acceptance of others for what they are, which in my humble opinion is more important than preaching a particular view point on Vegetarianism.

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Kindergarten-Grade 3

A decidedly moral tale involving a bevy of knights, damsels, and dragons, as well as a brave girl named Nicole. The only vegetarian dragon in a land full of carnivores, Herb peacefully tends his garden while others of his species munch on the castle's inhabitants. When the knights decide to catch and behead any dragons they can find, poor Herb is easily apprehended and imprisoned. He is about to be wrongly executed for the murders when Nicole steps in (and into his mouth) to prove his innocence. Using Herb as an example, the king makes a bargain with the rest of the dragons: if they agree to stop eating people, then the knights will stop hunting them. The carnivores agree, and there is a happy ending, as "dragons and people, meat-eaters and vegetarians, live together in peace and harmony." Some of the scenes are a little scary, especially the one in which Herb is tied down in preparation for beheading by a man in a black hood. However, the tone of the text remains light and the cartoon illustrations are humorous, with googly-eyed dragons and people being eaten without apparent pain. Herb is the goofiest dragon of all; he always seems to be gazing lovingly at some living thing. Lush with growing plants and green grass, the artwork is filled with details that readers will pore over. -Susan Marie Pitard, Weezie Library for Children, Nantucket Atheneum, MA [

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