October is Vegetarian Awareness Month, and while it is only Oct. 5, I’m happy to say I have not had any meat yet this month. It honestly hasn’t been hard for me, but then again, I don’t eat meat all that often to begin with. Anyway, the reason I mention veggie month is because my next review and contest is all about a vegetarian dragon! :)
I received a copy of the book “Herb, The Vegetarian Dragon” from Barefoot Books and was immediately impressed by the beautiful and vibrant illustrations. The book is about a dragon named Herb who tends to a nice vegetable garden in the forest and is a vegetarian, unlike the rest of the carnivorous dragons in the forest, lead by Meathook, who enjoy raiding the castle for amusement (and tasty eats). The knights of the castle set forth to rid the forest of the meat-eating dragons, but the meat-eaters hear of their plan and hide out in a cave. Meanwhile Herb is the only dragon left in the forest. The knights find him, assume he is a meat-eater as well and capture him. Herb is about to meet his fate at the mouths of hungry alligators when an unlikely hero emerges and saves the day.
Herb, The Vegetarian Dragon is a story about diversity, acceptance and living together in harmony. I do want to note that it’s recommended for ages 4-10 and I have to agree that the content is a bit more mature than toddler-level. When the book first arrived in the mail, I read it to Ava (3) before I had read it for myself or realized it was meant for older children. (Oops.) While she expressed some concern about Herb’s safety and other parts of the book, I explained it to her well and she did OK with it. We have since read the book a few times and she knows how it ends which I think reassures her that Herb will be OK even when the knights are tying him up.
Herb, The Vegetarian Dragon would make a great addition to any child’s library. The illustrations are gorgeous and the book teaches some valuable lessons about life.
Barefoot Books – founded by two moms in 1993 – “offers products that are thoughtfully written, beautifully designed and illustrated, and have high educational value.” If Herb isn’t your cup of tea, check out the rest of the site. There’s a huge variety of books available – many of which celebrate other cultures. I love that their books are free of media, toy or candy references, and are unique and meaningful children’s literature. Most of the paperback books sell for $6.99 and the hardcover books sell for between $16.99-19.99. I suggest keeping Barefoot Books in mind for birthdays and holiday shopping for the kids this year.
Win it!
If you’d like to win your own copy of Herb, The Vegetarian Dragon, please leave me a COMMENT below STATING WHAT BOOK YOU LIKE BEST FROM BAREFOOT BOOKS. Make sure to include a valid email address so I can contact you if you win. The deadline to enter is Tuesday, Oct. 16. The winner will be chosen at random (using random.org) and announced on Oct. 17. It’s not required, but please feel free to post about this contest on your blog if you’d like to share the love. :)
Stumble it!
Isil says:
what a lovely contest!
I’d love it for Defne ;)
October 5th, 2007 at 12:58 pm
jenna says:
I like The Boy Who Grew Flowers by Jen Wojtowicz. My little boy is always bringing me flowers, and if he can’t find a flower, he brings me a blade of grass. So sweet!
October 5th, 2007 at 2:33 pm
Lesha says:
I’d have to say Abuelita fue al Mercado : )
October 5th, 2007 at 3:27 pm
Sherie says:
OMG! I’ve been pining for this book for months, but didn’t know anything about the publisher. What a fantastic company. I can’t wait to check out more of their books, especially the seasonal things! Thanks for yet another awesome give away!!
October 5th, 2007 at 5:30 pm
zu says:
I like the “My daddy is a pretzel” book.
October 5th, 2007 at 10:49 pm
Mama Luxe says:
I like the Creepy Crawly Calypso because it looks fun, is about music, and our cat’s name is Calypso.
I also like the idea of the vegetarian dragon!
mamaluxe at gmail dot com
October 5th, 2007 at 11:01 pm
LuAnn says:
Animal Boogie! http://www.barefoot-books.com/us/site/pages/productone.php?pid=1915
My daughter loves music and moving. She even thinks we should have our own family band in the local Christmas parade! :)
October 6th, 2007 at 4:17 am
chelle says:
That looks like a very cool book! I adore Barefoot books! I have been pining over the Fairy Tales book :)
October 6th, 2007 at 6:52 am
Andrea says:
Thanks for the great contest! I think I’d have to say that I would love the Jack and the Beanstalk book! I love that story. :)
October 6th, 2007 at 7:06 am
Kristen says:
I would like the Welcome To the World book about birth and babies in many cultures!
Amy, I’m giving your sling away to my friend this weekend! She is due any day and her 18-month old daughter is going to LOVE the sling!
October 6th, 2007 at 9:09 am
Halloweenie shirt winner | Musings of a crunchy, domestic goddess says:
[...] Kristen: I would like the Welcome To the World book about birth and babies in many cultures! Amy, I’m giving… [...]
October 6th, 2007 at 9:14 am
Mama Zen says:
I am a HUGE fan of Barefoot Books! I like the animal Boogie.
October 6th, 2007 at 10:03 am
Ami Scott says:
I’m so excited I found this! I’ve been wanting this book for months ever since a friend showed it to me, but it had been given to her and she had no idea at all about the publisher. I have now fallen in love with a wonderful store. They have so many awesome products but if I really had to choose one over the others, it would have to be The Barefoot Book of Blessings. I’ll certainly be posting about this one!
October 6th, 2007 at 10:41 am
Alexia says:
I’ve never actually heard of Barefoot Books before! This book sounds great though and I’d love to win it!
October 6th, 2007 at 1:54 pm
Melissa says:
This looks like an awesome book! Fireside Tales for Winter looks great for this coming winter.
October 6th, 2007 at 3:52 pm
Melissa says:
I went to eht Breast Cancer Website and looked around. Where did you get your click every day button? I would like to put it on my site.
October 6th, 2007 at 3:56 pm
Naomi (Urban Mummy) says:
Animal Boogie – so fun! My baby loves music!
And the vegetarian dragon, of course!!
October 6th, 2007 at 6:30 pm
phyllis says:
i went looking around and i think i’m going to go back and buy the stories on cd called “knights” because that’s what my almost-6-y-o is into…what a fun site! hope i win the book!:-)
October 6th, 2007 at 7:32 pm
Laura @ Laura Williams' Musings says:
Sounds like a great book!
During the Summer Reading Program at our Library, my children borrowed this book from the library… The Gigantic Turnip.
They loved it! Fun little story!
I blogged your contest at http://laurawilliamsmusings.blogspot.com/2007/10/saturday-edition-of-contests-galore.html
October 6th, 2007 at 8:10 pm
Summer says:
Oh! I want this book!! Right now our favorite book from Barefoot Books is Bear About Town, though I have a feeling if I win this it will be our new favorite. :)
October 6th, 2007 at 9:12 pm
5 Minutes Around The Blogosphere - Week 4 says:
[...] you know that October is also Vegetarian Awareness Month? To celebrate, Crunchy Domestic Goddess is giving away a copy of Herb, The Vegetarian Dragon. You have until October 16th to stop by there [...]
October 7th, 2007 at 1:23 am
Elizabeth-The Whole Family says:
Asian Dreamland- Music CD is my favorite! I lvoe for my kids to be exposed to different cultures! It’s so cute and the illustrations are so beautiful.
October 7th, 2007 at 5:47 am
Doreen says:
Oh wow, wow you’ve made me excited about BareFoot Books!! They sound and look fantastic! Would love to win this Veggie Dragon book! I love the Noah’s Ark Biblical story book.
October 7th, 2007 at 12:10 pm
Brandy says:
Hey A,
I really like the looks of the Irish folk book. I like books that give my kiddos a slice of culture and this one sounds divine. :)
All of there books look awesome though and I’m going to send their site to fam for the holiday ideas!
October 7th, 2007 at 2:53 pm
melody is slurping life says:
I’d love to have that book for my boys. Please enter me.
Do you have the code for the nifty “win this book at….” button? I’d love to post it on my blog post.
October 7th, 2007 at 11:05 pm
momslifesavers says:
Hi!
I posted you wonderful contest on Familyzip.com…a great site for families! I love Barefoot Books! I love “My Daddy’s a Pretzel” the most….but Herb may be my next favorite!
October 8th, 2007 at 6:15 am
Everyone’s Having A Contest! | Our Family Village says:
[...] Crunchy Domestic Goddess is giving away a copy of Herb: The Vegetarian Dragon. It is such a cute [...]
October 8th, 2007 at 10:13 am
Michelle says:
Gigantic Turnip sounds fun to me! Anything that can help get kids excited about eating well… I also can’t wait to get my hands on Herb, The Vegetarian Dragon!
October 8th, 2007 at 11:50 am
Adventures In Babywearing says:
All linked up at my Bloggy Contests page – and I’d love any of Barefoot’s books- especially Herb. When I tried to view the books online I only got an error!
Steph
October 8th, 2007 at 12:21 pm
Kat says:
I like Snowflake Fell. I love winter.
Good luck to me (:
October 8th, 2007 at 10:18 pm
tricia says:
I found ‘Animal Boogie’at Edinburgh Book Festival in September and have used it many many times in a school for children with additional support needs. They love it.
October 9th, 2007 at 4:32 am
JewelsHud says:
I really like Animal Boogie . . . !! So cute!
Julie
October 9th, 2007 at 6:04 am
Sheila/Kiki36 says:
Wow, they have some really great stuff! My favorite would be the Barefoot Book of Classic Poems. My daughter loves poetry and I will remember this when it comes time for holiday shopping!
October 9th, 2007 at 8:58 am
Christine says:
I haven’t read any Barefoot Books yet… They look wonderful!
I’m putting your little giveaway button in my post of today’s contests and giveaways.
October 9th, 2007 at 11:29 am
Expat Mom says:
My toddler loves dragons, this would be a great one to win. Of the Barefoot books, my favorite is Off We Go to Mexico. I love that they have so many multi-cultural books.
October 9th, 2007 at 12:20 pm
homemom3 says:
We loved “The gigantic turnip” these books are so nice too and I love the CD that goes with mine.
October 9th, 2007 at 5:50 pm
Jo says:
We all love “We All Went On Safari” but my own personal faves are Herb, Stories from the Opera, and Lady of Ten Thousand Names.
October 9th, 2007 at 9:42 pm
Stacey@Look, Mom, Look! says:
I would love to read “I Dreamt I was a Dinosaur” to my boys. They love dinosaurs. We have the book “We All Went On Safari” and I love that one as well. We read it frequently before bed. thanks for the great contest!
October 9th, 2007 at 9:47 pm
Cristy says:
I have posted about this (because it looks like a fantastic book!), but won’t enter because I think it would be a little cheeky of me after my recent spat of good luck…
October 10th, 2007 at 5:13 am
Kim says:
I will have to get this book (if I don’t win it) for my daughter. She is so passionate about animals that she decided 8 mths ago to become vegetarian. She doing wonderfully.
October 11th, 2007 at 1:58 pm
Half Pint Pixie says:
Sorry so late joining in! I love the thought of a veggie dragon, so Herb would be my favourite book! I’m linking to you from my blog now :)
October 13th, 2007 at 2:56 am
Veggie Dragon Contest « Half Pint Pixie says:
[...] 13th, 2007 by halfpintpixie Amy over at Crunchy Domestic Goddess is running a competition to win a copy of Herb, The Vegetarian Dragon from the lovely people at [...]
October 13th, 2007 at 3:03 am
amberjee says:
How lovely! Would love to enter for sure.
October 13th, 2007 at 6:38 am
Carey says:
Ive never heard of this company, but there books look lovely. I think my favorite from looking at them might be The Animal Boogie. I would love to enter your contest. Thanks.
October 13th, 2007 at 7:19 am
Naomi says:
Roo loves Cleo and Caspar!
October 15th, 2007 at 1:59 pm
Orangesimile says:
I think Herb, the Vegetarian Dragon will be my favorite Barefoot Book!
October 16th, 2007 at 8:40 am
ashley says:
My son and I love “My daddy is a pretzel” but all barefoot books are wonderful!
October 16th, 2007 at 11:42 am
Jenny M says:
We love Bear About Town – my sons lovey is a bear and its fun to imagine- Bear out and about=).
He loves dragons though so Herb might be a new favorite. Thank you!
October 16th, 2007 at 12:04 pm
Rachna says:
I haven’t read any Barefoot Books to be honest. So this will be my first and I would love to read it to my daughter who has just started experiencing the joys of a book. Thanks. :)
October 16th, 2007 at 12:36 pm
Marcie says:
It sounds adorable!!
October 16th, 2007 at 12:43 pm
Katrina says:
What fun, its great to see everyone’s suggestions
I like
Lady Of Ten Thousand Names
Goddess Stories from Many Cultures
Retold by: Burleigh Mut
Illustrated by: Helen Cann
October 16th, 2007 at 1:50 pm
Lori says:
I’m a new parent looking for some books, so I’m excited to look into this line. It sounds very positive! (Sorry that I don’t have a favorite yet.)
Please enter me to win so I can become a huge fan! Thanks.
October 16th, 2007 at 2:07 pm
Andrea says:
wonderful – favorite is Animal Boogie!
October 16th, 2007 at 2:11 pm
Heidi says:
I have never read any of their books, but that looks so good and I’m sure my two boys would love it.
October 16th, 2007 at 2:45 pm
Jennifer Rewerts says:
I would love to have this book!
October 16th, 2007 at 3:35 pm
Jackie says:
Taking the Moon for a Walk – love the pictures.
October 16th, 2007 at 3:41 pm
LocaMama says:
Barefoot Book of Stories From The Opera
October 16th, 2007 at 5:06 pm
Carol Rene' Brown says:
I just ADORE The “BAREFOOT BOOKS” site!
I have adored childrens books all my life!!!
At this Moment am working on a Specail
“I SPY Dragon Quilt” for my 3 year old nephew.
8 years of collecting the perfect Dragon quilt prints
“Herb, The Vegetarian Dragon” Looks DIVINE!!!! LOVE TO WIN!!!
I am looking at their dazzling array of the most magnificent books for children
& children of all ages for the first time!!
“The Boy Who Grew Flowers”, “The Tear Thief” & “My Daddy’s a Pretzel” are my next choices!!!
A Giant “Thank You” for Introducing Me to “BBooks” and “Herb, The Vegetarian Dragon”
October 16th, 2007 at 5:17 pm
Jennifer says:
“My Daddy is a pretzel” is delightful.
October 16th, 2007 at 6:09 pm
Katie says:
I haven’t read any of the Barefoot Books yet, but Barefoot Book of Blessings looks really neat and I’ve added it to my book list.
October 16th, 2007 at 6:42 pm
Linda says:
I’d like the Barefoot Book of Fairytales, cause I love all sorts of fairy tale retellings.
The vegetarian Dragon sounds a bit to me like Dragon Soup, a book I loved as a child, about a boy who gets a job as King’s Chef because he says he can make “Dragon soup.” Then a dragon is caught and the boy is put to the test….
October 16th, 2007 at 7:33 pm
CanCan says:
I have been wanting this book because I have been vegetarian for 13 years and have thus far raised my 3-year-old son vegetarian, against incredible pressure from family!
I have not read other Barefoot Books but am quite interested in their “one world, one spirit” books which promote multiculturalism. We have worked in Asia for 5 years and plan to go back soon!
October 16th, 2007 at 10:49 pm
Rose L says:
I like the Fairytales.
October 17th, 2007 at 8:02 am
Herb the veggie dragon book winner! | Musings of a crunchy, domestic goddess says:
[...] Rose L: I like the Fairytales. [...]
October 17th, 2007 at 10:54 am