Paste Makes Waste

Powerpuff Girls: 8 x 8 Books #4

by Laura Dower, Craig McCracken (Creator), Jim Steck (Illustrations)

Buttercup likes to tease Elmer Sglue. The boy eats paste! Even so, Blossom and Bubbles know that making fun of someone is not the Powerpuff way.

But Buttercup won't listen until things get really sticky. Elmer turns into a big paste monster and decides to destroy Townsville! Only one thing can stop him Buttercup saying she's sorry. Will she? Can she? And will she decide in time to save Blossom and Bubbles?

Genres: Childrens, Superheroes

32 pages, Paperback

First published September 13, 2000

About the author

Laura Dower worked in marketing and editorial in kid’s publishing for many years before taking a big leap to the full-time life of an author. Since 2000, she has penned 90+ books–from picture books to young adult fiction and nonfiction. Along the way, she had two sons and a daughter. Laura and her groovy family of five live in Yonkers, NY.

Reviews

[melhara · Rating 4 out of 5]

This children's picture book is an adaptation of the first half of Season 1, Episode 8 of The Powerpuff Girls, in which Buttercup learns an important lesson about bullying and apologizing when you've hurt someone's feelings.

Buttercup makes fun of, and physically assaults Elmer Sglue (ha!) for eating glue. When he turns into a giant glue monster and seeks revenge against everyone who's ever made fun of him, she learns that there are consequences when she mistreats others.

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Part of a personal challenge to read all of my boyfriend's and his sister's childhood books before we donate and give them away.

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Other Powerpuff Girls books that I've read:
Monkey See, Doggy Do (S1, E1, P1) (5/5) | Paste Makes Waste (S1, E8, P1) (4/5) | Snow-Off (S1, E8, P2) 4/5 | Beat Your Greens (S2, E4, P1) (4.5/5) | Down 'n' Dirty (S2, E4, P2) (5/5) | Cover Up (S2, E11, P2) (5/5) | Bubbles Bedazzled (2/5) | Cartoon Crazy (4/5)

[Ubalstecha · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Power Puff Girls encounter danger at Pokey Oaks Kindergarten. A giant paste monster! But there's more to this story. Buttercup maybe partly responsible for the creation of this monster. Can the Blossom and Bubbles convince their sister to do the right thing in time?

A simple story about that matches up with the corresponding episode fairly closely. It's message about bullying is pretty simple, and not very effective. For fans of the series only.

[Georgina Warren · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this episode when I was a kid, though I also felt nauseated and I thought it was a good lesson on being polite to your peers and finding the courage to apologize for making mistakes.

Looking back as an adult, I can appreciate the nuances of the story more and I have a few critical ideas about it. Buttercup shouldn't have teased Elmer about eating paste but at the same time it wasn't right for him to attack everything when he turned into a giant sticky monster.

The lesson appears to be as follows: when your classmate is doing something weird (like eating paste) leave him alone and don't bully him. Also if you have been bullied it's not right to become a bully yourself because two wrongs don't make a right. It's true that kids often eat things that are not food but I do wonder how Elmer managed to eat paste without getting food poisoning.

For this modern reader, I think the execution of this lesson missed the mark. Kids should not be allowed to eat paste. But making apologies and being polite to others are important lessons to take away. Standing up for yourself is important but not if that involves hurting everyone.

[Dolly · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a story book that mimics the cartoon show. Not much to the plot, but it's the Powerpuff Girls and what do you expect? Good discussion about bullying, although I'm not sure it was resolved in any way. It created an opportunity to talk about good and bad behavior at school and what the right thing to do is.

[Brittany · Rating 3 out of 5]

Elmer the kid at school who eats paste gets bullied by all the other kids at Pokey Oaks Kindergarten even Buttercup joins them. When Buttercup's bullying goes much too far and Elmer eats a radioactive fly in his paste he becomes a big monsterous glob of glue. The only way to make him stop his an apology from Buttercup. Will Buttercup be able to overcome her stubborn ways to utter an apology?