Greaseballs and Gum-chewers Learn to Get Along in West Slide Story

I’ve been enjoying VeggieTown Values, the series of VeggieTales books geared toward 4- to 8-year-olds featuring characters from the video series and stories that spoof famous movies or TV shows. All of the books feature Junior Asparagus, a typical kid who finds himself immersed in a topical adventure every time he walks into Treasure Trove Bookstore with a problem. In West Slide Story, written by Doug Peterson and illustrated by Michael Moore, he doesn’t enter the shop alone. This time, he is accompanied by his best friend Laura Carrot, and they become a part of the story together.

Laura is basically the female equivalent of Junior. She wears dresses and ribbons, and her blond hair is in pigtails, though she has a rough-and-tumble streak despite her dainty appearance. In this story, Junior and Laura face a dilemma because their friends are fighting over the new playground, with the boys and girls taking opposite sides. Eventually they get so fed up with the bickering that they decide a bookstore break is in order, but what they really want is to convince their buddies to get along.

In most of these books, Junior (and Laura, if she tags along) winds up in a very different setting, but here they are transported to another playground full of irate children. Granted, these kids are a little different from their friends, mostly because all of the guys have greasy hair and all of the girls chew bubble gum. And the playground isn’t quite as fancy either. But the basic situation is the same, so it’s a perfect practice run.

In terms of spoofing, West Slide Story is a take-off on both West Side Story and Grease. Larry’s character, Hairbrush, seems to have been modeled after Grease’s Danny Zuko, while one of the gourds is named Rebel Without a Comb, evoking Rebel Without a Cause.

Meanwhile, the extreme animosity between the groups recalls West Side Story, though of course these are much younger children and the stakes are much lower. Instead of rumbling with dangerous weapons, these kids turn to a hula hoop contest to determine who will take possession of the playground. There’s also a nod to one of the songs in the movie.

One nice thing about this story is that almost all of the characters are kids, and the situation of youngsters forming groups and fighting with each other is one that is all too common. Laura and Junior find a clever solution to their dilemma in the world of the book they are given. While it might have been nice to see how they managed it back in the real world, the book does drive home the point that cooperation is important and that each of us can try to be a peacemaker.

I like the retro-looking cover with the large, black letters of the title and the playground in silhouette, with Junior and Laura standing out in dramatic contrast. They remain vibrant characters throughout the book, this time surrounded by other Veggies, most of whom are not established characters. Instead, it’s a colorful array of newbies who we can probably look forward to seeing in other books, hopefully this time with more placid dispositions.