Celebrate Christmas With the Veggies With The Stable That Bob Built

Last Christmas, I received the VeggieTales Nativity Playset. I’d been eyeing it for a while and was tickled to own it at last, though I was surprised that Bob the Tomato, one of the two leading characters in the children’s video series, did not appear as one of the figures. Little did I know that the set has a companion book that explains just what Bob is up to while several of his fellow Veggies are putting on a Christmas pageant. The Stable That Bob Built, written by Cindy Kenney and vibrantly illustrated by Greg Hardin and Robert Vann, with art direction by Karen Poth, is a rhyming story that parodies The House That Jack Built.

On the title page, underneath a picture of Jimmy and Jerry Gourd in their cow costume, is Luke 2:10-11: “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy. It is for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you. He is Christ the Lord.” Actually, this iconic passage is printed twice - once in the front and once in the back - and there’s a typo in the first one, changing “has” to “had,” which seems awfully sloppy when these two verses sum up the purpose of the book. Otherwise, however, this is a high-quality storybook that covers the basics of the Nativity in an entertaining fashion.

Bob is the set designer for the Bumblyburg Christmas pageant. A two-page spread before the title page shows us his detailed blueprints for the stable, often with amusing side comments that get other characters involved. Diva-ish Madame Blueberry, who doesn’t appear in this book at all, is mentioned as offering to lend Bob knobs from her kitchen to be used on the stable window. Meanwhile, uptight Archibald Asparagus is listed as the director, though we never see him either. Bob, on the other hand, shows up on several pages, generally looking cheerful in his yellow hardhat and brown tool belt.

The cast of the pageant is exactly the same as in my set, with a couple of exceptions. The book includes Mr. Nezzer as “the guy / who didn’t know how to milk the cow / that mooed in the stable that Bob built.” From his appearance - dressed up in a brown robe and nightcap, with keys dangling from a rope around his shoulder and carrying a lantern - I’d deduce that he is the innkeeper, though the book never specifically indicates this. Mr. Nezzer is absent from my set, and while the book includes four peas dressed as sheep, my set has only two.

Whenever a new character is introduced, the noun describing him or her is shown in large, bold print, along with the word “This” or “These,” which starts off each page. Nouns from earlier in the book continue to get the large-print treatment, though not all of them do on any given page. Other significant nouns include baby (Lenny Carrot as Jesus); star; three wise men (Larry the Cucumber, Pa Grape, Mr. Lunt); man (anonymous gourd as Joseph); woman (Mabel Gourd as Mary); angel (Laura Carrot); and shepherd (Junior Asparagus, inexplicably munching on apple pie).  Aside from the fact that the Junior seems to be eating apple pie solely for the sake of a rhyme, there’s a smooth, logical progression of lines from page to page, and Kenney weaves her cumulative story in a manner that puts the primary focus on the biblical account, letting the illustrators furnish the Veggies’ individual personalities.

A final page serves as an epilogue of sorts, explaining, “These are the Veggies who played the parts / in the story that lives in all of our hearts...” This accompanies a silly two-page spread in which the flashlight-bearing Laura, suspended from a rope, zooms over the rest of the cast, some of whom have switched costumes. Mr. Lunt looks rather dashing in Pa Grape’s turban, but his crown is much too big for Pa’s head. Meanwhile, Larry looks ridiculous wearing the front half of the Gourds’ cow costume, and Mr. Nezzer seems irritated by the totem pole of sheep beside him.

Fans of VeggieTales are sure to enjoy this slightly chaotic homage to the traditional Christmas pageant by way of a well-worn children’s poem, and The Stable That Bob Built is especially recommended reading for anyone who owns the VeggieTales Nativity Playset or plans to buy it. Who knew a guy with no hands would turn out to be such a handyman?