The New Magic Dragon - Jules Bass's, author of "Herb, The Vegetarian Dragon" and "Cooking with Herb" - Brief Article

Vegetarian Times, Dec, 1999 by Lambeth Hochwald

It's been 35 years since Hollywood producer Jules Bass brought Rudolph the Red. Nosed Reindeer to the big screen. Since then, he's kept busy directing and producing numerous children's classics, including Frosty the Snowman, The Hobbitt and The Little Drummer Boy. And now he's created another lovable character. This latest personality plays the title role in two new kids' books, Herb, The Vegetarian Dragon and Cooking with Herb (both from Barefoot Books, 1999). But these aren't your ordinary children's books. What's special about them is that they are the first in their genre to tackle issues that surround vegetarianism, such as lifestyle acceptance and peer pressure.

The idea of Herb came to Bass, 58, when he decided the world needed another misfit like Rudolph. Because Bass gave up meat 10 years ago, it made sense that vegetarianism be his protagonist's point of distinction. "I realized there were no vegetarian animals represented in kids' books," he says. "And I began to think, What if this dragon was the only vegetarian in the whole forest." Bass explains that the concept opened the door for him to teach children about tolerance as well as the benefits of a vegetarian diet. With that premise in place, he began writing the fable of Herb, which he describes as "entertainment that hopefully has some value for kids in terms of addressing larger moral issues."

The reader is first introduced to Herb as he's happily going about his business as a vegetarian in a forest full of meat-eating dragons. But Herb is soon captured and thrown in jail on trumped-up charges of being a carnivore (a behavior among dragons that the King was trying to outlaw). While in prison, one of the other dragons comes to Herb and offers to help him escape--if he'll become a meat-eater. But Herb stays true to his convictions and refuses to eat the wild boar he's offered. As with all good children's books, there's a happy ending as well as a neat moral about tolerance--Herb's life is saved by a little girl who convinces the king to set him free.

"In the book there are a lot of issues in terms of whether vegetarians and non-vegetarians can live together," says Bass from his home outside of Nice, France, where he lives half the year. (He spends the rest of the year in New York City.) He goes on to explain that his books aren't meant to pass judgment on anyone's daily diet. "They're really about differences of all kinds. For example, Herb never asks the other dragons to eat vegetables. He just sticks to his principles and wants everyone to peacefully coexist."

Bass' own decision to go veg came when he realized his eating habits were compromising his health. "Until 10 years ago, I was a serial hamburger eater. I was overdoing it--eating burgers daily and loading up on junk food. Then one day I just decided to stop my carnivorous ways," says Bass, who began his career at a New York advertising agency and worked his way up from delivering mail to running the production department to directing and producing children's television and film. "I feel good about becoming a vegetarian. I'm more in touch with my body, and my whole system is healthier." And since Bass always loved to cook, he found it easy to create vegetarian meals. "I started exploring and realized I could make lasagna with mushrooms. Finding so many ways of substituting meat was interesting to me."

Bass' love of writing, combined with his lifelong interest in food (he studied at Cordon Bleu in Paris, teaches private vegetarian cooking classes and is a food writer for the BBC's Vegetarian Good Food Magazine), set the wheels in motion for Cooking with Herb. The cookbook presents 22 of his favorite vegetarian recipes, all of which are geared to those Bass calls his LOVE children or (Lacto-Ovo Veggie Eaters) though they are designed to appeal to parents as well. The book is full of mini-stories about recipes, such as the Dragonian Quesadillas, Herb's Crunchy Corn Fritters, The King's Favorite Veggie Burger and Bass' own favorite, Chili Con No Came.

As for Herb's future, the author has big plans. In addition to a web site (www.dragonherb.com), the veg dragon recently made his small-screen debut in October with a guest appearance as a human-size puppet on the Food Network's Cooking Live with Sara Moulton. Also in the planning stages are a television special, a series starring Herb and a third book. "I'd like Herb to become a household name," says Bass. "I'd like him to go on cooking shows as long as his appearances are consistent with the message and moral of the book, and as long as kids are having fun watching him." Because, after all, what better way is there to teach a child than with fun and food.