Herb, the Vegetarian Dragon by Jules Bass

I think you have to take the humor not so literally and with a grain of salt – so to speak. I am very intrigued by Jennifer’s comment that this book is not gentle and peaceful because like those holiday specials, I don’t think the book was intended to be that way. Think about how irreverent some of the actions and comments are in those holiday specials. My children and I love the Herb story! Jules Bass (who is a vegetarian himself) has a “cheeky” style of humor that is apparent in his other works. Herb is a good guy, even if his story is a little awkward and violent. Herb also has his very own kids’ cookbook, which may be better than his tale. On the website, children can send an email to Herb, get vegetarian recipes, and send greeting cards. The illustrator Debbie Harter is also a jewelry designer. Herb, the Vegetarian Dragon has his own website! There, I discovered that the author Jules Bass has produced classic animations, such as Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer and Frosty the Snowman. To tie up, tempt, and almost execute a vegetarian does not make for a very gentle and peaceful book. I think there is an attempt to show how vegetarians and meat eaters can live side by side in peace, a message of tolerance however, the violence has caused some readers to be appalled. My children really enjoyed this story, but I found it awkward. The other dragons agreed to stop eating people, and peace was brought to the forest of Nogard. I don’t ask you to stop eating meat, so why do you ask me to stop eating vegetables?”Įventually, Herb was rescued from execution by a little girl, who knew he was a vegetarian and not guilty.

“I don’t see it your way, so I’ll take my chances. While he was incarcerated, the other dragons tried to tempt him to eat meat: When all the dragons fled to hide from the brave knights who decided to retaliate and capture all of the dragons, Herb was mistakenly imprisoned as one of the meat eating, killing dragons. The other dragons ate royal princess, brave knights, and wild boar meat, but Herb had his own vegetable patch. Herb, the Vegetarian Dragon, written by Jules Bass and illustrated by Debbie Harter, is the tale of the only pacifist, vegetarian dragon in the forest of Nogard. Thus, she was very excited to read a book about a vegetarian dragon! Now, her best friend has become a vegetarian and her teacher is a vegan. She was the only vegetarian in her kindergarten class. When she was old enough to realize that an animal was harmed for her food, she made the choice to join me in a vegetarian lifestyle. As a toddler, we let her make her own food choices, as I figured her body would tell her what healthy choices she needed.

I am a vegetarian, but her father eats fish and the rare locally-grown beef. My daughter is a vegetarian, a choice she made on her own as a four-year-old.

Herb, the Vegetarian Dragon by Jules Bass