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Hubert the Pudge: A Vegetarian Tale
The droll, offbeat tale of a pudge who escapes the pudge-eating world to find personal growth — and change his destiny
Hubert is a pudge, and pudges can never grow up. Instead, they are trucked off to the meat factory when they are still young and turned into TV dinners, microwave sausage links, and other greasy food products. But when Hubert manages to escape to the wild, he feasts on luscious grass, exotic orchids, and skunk cabbage. The more he eats, the bigger he grows, and soon Hubert is the biggest pudge since ancient times. He is giant! He is humongous! And he must fulfill his destiny. From the singular Henrik Drescher comes a quirky fable about the responsibilities that come from being larger than life.
Hubert is a pudge, and pudges can never grow up. Instead, they are trucked off to the meat factory when they are still young and turned into TV dinners, microwave sausage links, and other greasy food products. But when Hubert manages to escape to the wild, he feasts on luscious grass, exotic orchids, and skunk cabbage. The more he eats, the bigger he grows, and soon Hubert is the biggest pudge since ancient times. He is giant! He is humongous! And he must fulfill his destiny. From the singular Henrik Drescher comes a quirky fable about the responsibilities that come from being larger than life.
40 pages, Hardcover
First published October 10, 2006
80 people want to read
About the author
Henrik Drescher
49 books17 followersHenrik Drescher was born in Copenhagen and immigrated to the United States in 1967. He began a career in illustration as a young man and has been traveling throughout the United States, Mexico, Europe and China, creating massive journals of notes and drawings wherever he went.
His books are held in the collections of the Library of Congress, the Museum of Modern Art, the Victoria and Albert Museum, and the Rijks Museum in Den Haag, Netherlands. He has received numerous other honors including two awards from the Society of Illustrators.
His books are held in the collections of the Library of Congress, the Museum of Modern Art, the Victoria and Albert Museum, and the Rijks Museum in Den Haag, Netherlands. He has received numerous other honors including two awards from the Society of Illustrators.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
December 6, 2010
I have always loved Henrik Drescher’s wacky illustrations in most of his children’s books, so I decided to give this book a shot. “Hubert the Pudge” is a recent children’s book by Henrik Drescher and it is about how a pudge named Hubert escapes from his cruel master, Farmer Jake to live in the forest. After Hubert grows to be twice the size of an elephant, he goes back to Farmer Jake’s farm to rescue his fellow pudges from being eaten.
Alright, it was a bit hard for me to find what I liked about this book. I will admit that I did like the way that Henrik Drescher created a creature called a pudge, as the pudges have purple black dotted long horns, have long noses that look like Pinocchio’s nose and have faces that look human but have pig-like bodies. It was also a bit interesting to see the dark side of the meat industry as we get a glimpse into what happens to animals (or pudges in this case) when they are thrown into processing farms. I also did admired the way that Hubert was extremely brave in trying to rescue his friends from Farmer Jake’s processing farm since it truly showed how much he cares about his friends.
Now here is the reason why I gave this book only a three star rating. One of the reasons was that I thought that this book was not as creative as Henrik Drescher’s earlier works. The illustrations lacked the crazy yet colorful feel that made Henrik Drescher’s books extremely out of the ordinary as the characters looked a bit too flat and the colors in this book are mainly in dull colors, making this book seem too boring to read. Also, the story seems a bit too predictable since I have heard a dozen tales, whether it was on TV or through books, where animals escape from their evil owners to find a new life without fear. The story seems to lack a creative flair that were shown in Henrik Drescher’s earlier books like in his book “Simon’s Book” where the plot is about a boy’s adventures inside a drawing or in “Looking for Santa Claus” where a girl rides a cow to find Santa Claus.
To be honest, I do not really know what audience this book was aiming for because while I think some vegetarians might be interested in this book because of the vegetarian theme, it did not feel like a vegetarian book. It is like the book is spending 90% of the time with Hubert escaping from the farm and it felt more like an epic tale than a tale that explains about the healthy and nutritious vegan food, even though they briefly mentioned tofu. All in all, “Hubert the Pudge” might have an interesting take on the food industry, but this book is probably not one of Henrik Drescher’s best books.
Alright, it was a bit hard for me to find what I liked about this book. I will admit that I did like the way that Henrik Drescher created a creature called a pudge, as the pudges have purple black dotted long horns, have long noses that look like Pinocchio’s nose and have faces that look human but have pig-like bodies. It was also a bit interesting to see the dark side of the meat industry as we get a glimpse into what happens to animals (or pudges in this case) when they are thrown into processing farms. I also did admired the way that Hubert was extremely brave in trying to rescue his friends from Farmer Jake’s processing farm since it truly showed how much he cares about his friends.
Now here is the reason why I gave this book only a three star rating. One of the reasons was that I thought that this book was not as creative as Henrik Drescher’s earlier works. The illustrations lacked the crazy yet colorful feel that made Henrik Drescher’s books extremely out of the ordinary as the characters looked a bit too flat and the colors in this book are mainly in dull colors, making this book seem too boring to read. Also, the story seems a bit too predictable since I have heard a dozen tales, whether it was on TV or through books, where animals escape from their evil owners to find a new life without fear. The story seems to lack a creative flair that were shown in Henrik Drescher’s earlier books like in his book “Simon’s Book” where the plot is about a boy’s adventures inside a drawing or in “Looking for Santa Claus” where a girl rides a cow to find Santa Claus.
To be honest, I do not really know what audience this book was aiming for because while I think some vegetarians might be interested in this book because of the vegetarian theme, it did not feel like a vegetarian book. It is like the book is spending 90% of the time with Hubert escaping from the farm and it felt more like an epic tale than a tale that explains about the healthy and nutritious vegan food, even though they briefly mentioned tofu. All in all, “Hubert the Pudge” might have an interesting take on the food industry, but this book is probably not one of Henrik Drescher’s best books.
June 12, 2010
This book is almost completely bizarre, but compelling too. It’s horrifying and humorous, and also edifying (though lots of fantasy here too) and inspiring/uplifting, in a way.
At first (as an ethical vegan who cares about animal suffering and knows the atrocities) I was horrified that such an “honest” book was written for children, but then I realized it’s a bit of a fable, even though some reality (such as animals being killed for food before they reach anywhere near full growth) are addressed. By the end, the sort of silly end, I thought it was kind of amusing, though I can see others having a different opinion. I ended up liking it, and I’m all for supporting “vegetarian and vegan literature” but I did continue to think it was just a bit odd.
The horrific part I thought was better suited to older kids at the least, and the most of the end wouldn’t be as appealing to the youngest kids either, I don’t think.
But, I like the message and some of the story and some of the illustrations. I just don’t think this story is the very best way to get across what it tried to get across, but given how few books are out there in children’s picture book form that address the issues of animals killed for food, when they’re children themselves, I’m glad this is out there, but I do recommend adults screening this one for their children. And, I have to admit, I don’t see omnivores being all that interested in this book or wanting to read it to their omnivorous children either. For vegan and vegetarian children, perhaps it will be enjoyed and appreciated.
But, still too obvious yet fantastical and confusing. There just isn't a great book out there that addresses these issues for the little ones. This didn't quite do it either.
At first (as an ethical vegan who cares about animal suffering and knows the atrocities) I was horrified that such an “honest” book was written for children, but then I realized it’s a bit of a fable, even though some reality (such as animals being killed for food before they reach anywhere near full growth) are addressed. By the end, the sort of silly end, I thought it was kind of amusing, though I can see others having a different opinion. I ended up liking it, and I’m all for supporting “vegetarian and vegan literature” but I did continue to think it was just a bit odd.
The horrific part I thought was better suited to older kids at the least, and the most of the end wouldn’t be as appealing to the youngest kids either, I don’t think.
But, I like the message and some of the story and some of the illustrations. I just don’t think this story is the very best way to get across what it tried to get across, but given how few books are out there in children’s picture book form that address the issues of animals killed for food, when they’re children themselves, I’m glad this is out there, but I do recommend adults screening this one for their children. And, I have to admit, I don’t see omnivores being all that interested in this book or wanting to read it to their omnivorous children either. For vegan and vegetarian children, perhaps it will be enjoyed and appreciated.
But, still too obvious yet fantastical and confusing. There just isn't a great book out there that addresses these issues for the little ones. This didn't quite do it either.
April 12, 2010
I'm not sure how I feel about vegetarian tales for kids--I still haven't found one that is just right. They all seem to be preachy-annoying, too wordy for a kid, or they have a neat little ending where all the factory-farmed animals are freed (like this book). The illustrations in this book were the best part--creepy cute!
If anyone has any suggestions for veg picture books, let me know!
If anyone has any suggestions for veg picture books, let me know!
September 26, 2015
Though the art looks like someone drew it on LSD, the story is a good one to introduce to young children about the meat industry. Though the art makes me like it less, it's still an important teaching/lesson/idea to bring up to kids.
October 5, 2009
I do think it's important the kids (and adults) face the reality of where meat comes from, but this book was still a little creepy. This is mostly due to the drawings, which seemed to come out of some old, frightening fairy tale. Oh well, I was still pleased to see a vegetarian tale for kids.
July 8, 2013
Unusual, retro, and wildly clever, this book will make an awesome addition to the bookshelves of vegetarian school-aged children. (I say school-age because some of the elements of the story may be a bit too dark for very young kids.)
June 24, 2014
without the humor this book would be a three...
However, it's pretty funny in its own unique way.
The illustrations are a bit creepy but my daughter loves staring at the pictures; she says they're "beautiful." lol
However, it's pretty funny in its own unique way.
The illustrations are a bit creepy but my daughter loves staring at the pictures; she says they're "beautiful." lol
January 17, 2008
I really had high hopes for this book to introduce a vegetarian diet to kids, but the book has an obvious agenda and is extreme to the point of being ridiculous. A disappointment.
October 12, 2017
I don't know what I was expecting but it wasn't whatever this is.
December 19, 2011
I love vegetarian tales, don't get me wrong...and I love animals and especially porcine creatures. I like the illustration style, too. However, this book was creepy and very heavy-handed without being intriguing or engaging. It is a wee bit distressing to read, honestly. I'll just cut right to the point and say that this book definitely made my list of picture books I would not recommend to anyone other than those who wish to induce nightmares in themselves and/or others.
January 28, 2016
Uh, even as a vegetarian this was creepy.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews