Book Review

Cooking with Herb The Vegetarian Dragon: A Cookbook for Kids
by Jules Bass, Illustrated by Debbie Harter
Review by Jake Aryeh Marcus

A companion to Herb, The Vegetarian Dragon, Cooking with Herb The Vegetarian Dragon entertains young children with the same characters, dragons from the kingdom of Nogard where Herb has taught all the meat-eaters, human and dragon alike, the joys of vegetarian eating.

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Well organized, with each page containing a recipe, a story behind the recipe, eye-grabbing illustration, and a cooking "Hot Tip," this book is unfortunately not a cookbook that can be used by the age group to which it would most appeal without a good deal of adult help. Virtually all of the recipes require both cutting with a sharp knife and using a stove. Young children will still enjoy helping in some way to prepare these dishes and the cooking times are within the attention span of a young child. The ingredients are simple and the recipes easy to understand, however, many of the dishes are too spicy for a young child's palate. Of note also is that only a third or so of the recipes are vegan, the remainder relying heavily on dairy products.

Despite its shortcomings, Cooking with Herb is a fun read and could help engage a finicky child in eating a bit beyond her comfort zone since these are the favorite dishes of a lovable dragon and his friends.

Order Cooking with Herb the Vegetarian Dragon Now!

Jake Aryeh Marcus is a lawyer, freelance writer and editor, and work-at-home mom to unschooling sons Luca, Nicky, and Aidan. Jake's writing has appeared in The Compleat Mother, The Family Life Journal, and elsewhere. Jake and her family live in the suburbs of Philadelphia.

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