Title Herb, the Vegetarian Dragon Series --- Author Jules Bass Illustrated By Debbie Harter Publisher Barefoot Books- 1995 First Printing Barefoot Books- 1995 Category Children Warnings None Website NA Main Characters Herb, Nicole Main Elements Dragons

"The time has come to rid our forest of the fearful dragons who raid our castles, devour our people and eat all the best wild boar meat!" Bernard the Bold declared. "We must plan a great hunt."

"Death to dragons!" the knights shout, drawing their swords.

The dragons in the forest of Nogard liked nothing better than raiding Castle Dark and carrying off princesses to eat - all except one. Herb was different. He was at his happiest tending his vegetable patch, for Herb was a vegetarian. That was why it was so unfortunate that he should be the only dragon to be captured in the great hunt, and but for the intervention of a little girl, Nicole, this story might have had an unhappy ending!

Jules Bass' light-hearted story raises interesting questions about accepting other people's lifestyles and being open to change. His actio packed text combined with Debbie Harter's jaunty illustrations to make this hilarious picture book that also offers young readers plenty of food for thought.

Herb likes vegetables more than meat, but that's not the case with the rest of the dragons. They don't want anything to do with him, and reject him when he is captured by the king's men, willing to save him only if he'd eat a piece of meat. But Herb stands his ground and in the end is saved by a little girl who has watched him gardening and knows that he wouldn't hurt anyone. The meat eaters are then give a chance to change their ways, not to stop eating meat, but at least to stop eating people, and this makes at least some of them reconsider perhaps going even as far as Herb has gone. I recommend pausing on each page to glance at the background details, like a worm crawling out of Herb's cauliflower, or the expression on the knight being eated by a dragon. A fun story.