Have you made the acquaintance of Herb, our friendly and peace-loving vegetarian dragon? If not, you have a treat in store.
Herb is not like the other dragons in the Forest of Nogard. They
devour whatever meat they can lay their teeth on, and they’re
particularly partial to juicy young princesses. Herb is different. He
spends his days tending his vegetable plot. So he is taken aback when he
finds himself captured and thrown into prison by the local knights, who
are determined to execute him as an example to other dragons. Meathook,
a meat-eating dragon with a particularly menacing disposition, sets out
to corrupt Herb, offering to get him out of prison if he’ll change his
ways and tuck into a joint of lamb. Principled to the last, Herb
resists. Luckily, his execution is halted by the intervention of his
friend Marigold, who realises that the knights have captured the wrong
dragon. After this, Herb brokers a peace-keeping agreement with the
knights and peace comes to the Forest.
It’s not difficult to see the life lesson in this story: stand up for
what you believe in and, if you are lucky, the tide will turn in your
favour. Herb has to put his life on the line, which is more than I have
ever done, but whenever I read this story, I am transported back to all
kinds of struggles I had as a child. I remember having been mocked for
being left-handed (though at least I was not forced to become
right-handed in the way previous generations of children were). It is
not easy for any child or adult to be different, whether by nature or by
choice, but in my case, peer pressure felt a lot worse when I was
little than it has since I became an adult. It can be easy for me to
forget, living in the comfort and relative security of a liberal
democracy, what a privilege it is to have the freedom to be different,
not to have to conform. May it be so for others too. As Paul McCartney
comments, ‘Herb’s story tells the tale of the future’.
If you are interested in purchasing Herb, the Vegetarian Dragon click on Herb
available in hardcover $16.99 or paperback $7.99
Herb, The Vegetarian Dragon
Meet Herb, a dragon who knows how to stay true to his values even in
the stickiest of situations. When he is captured by the castle's
knights in armor, vegetarian Herb is faced with a difficult decision:
will he eat meat in order to save his own life?
IRA-CBC Children's Choice Award Winner
Parents' Choice Award Approved Winner
Society of School Librarians International Honor Book
Ages 4 to 10 years
Written By: Jules Bass
Illustrated By: Debbie Harter
