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155th out of 2,253 books
—
3,525 voters
The Butter Battle Book
by
Dr. Seuss
"Dr. Seuss chronicles the feud between the Yooks and the Zooks from slingshots through sophisticated weaponry, until each side has the capacity to destroy the world. The language amuses, the drawings are zesty and humorous, and the demand for this book will be large."--School Library Journal.
"Provocative, packs an allegorical punch. The parade of increasingly elaborate (a...more
"Provocative, packs an allegorical punch. The parade of increasingly elaborate (a...more
Hardcover, First Edition, First Printing, 42 pages
Published
January 12th 1984
by New York: Random House
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6 stars!!!
Being a huge fan of Dr. Seuss’ works over the years, I was in that mode where I wanted to read everything that was written by him and I remembered reading “The Butter Battle Book” many years ago when I was little. Well, I stumbled upon “The Butter Battle Book” again when I got older and at first, I was a little hesitant about reading this book again because of its war themes and I usually do not like reading books about wars, but after reading this classic book by Dr. Seuss, I actuall...more
Dec 14, 2012
Julie (Mom2lnb)
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Fans of Children's Books w/a Message, Fables, Satirical Humor
Recommended to Julie (Mom2lnb) by:
Readers Against Prejudice & Racism
Reviewed for THC Reviews
The Butter Battle Book is another of Dr. Seuss's titles which reflect his activist side. Through satirical humor, he explores the ridiculousness and futility of war. The Yooks and the Zooks have an age-old disagreement over which way to eat their bread, butter side up or down, and as a result, they eventually start a war over it. They begin with sentries guarding the wall separating their borders which of course, could be taken as a metaphor for anything that separates us...more
The Butter Battle Book is another of Dr. Seuss's titles which reflect his activist side. Through satirical humor, he explores the ridiculousness and futility of war. The Yooks and the Zooks have an age-old disagreement over which way to eat their bread, butter side up or down, and as a result, they eventually start a war over it. They begin with sentries guarding the wall separating their borders which of course, could be taken as a metaphor for anything that separates us...more
5 likes · like · see review
This is clearly a parable for nuclear proliferation, and no doubt Suess condemns it. However, there is no clear moral drawn in this story, and the events are left unresolved. What will happen? "We will see..." Therefore, the reader is left to draw his own conclusions. As a parent, you can "read" this any way you like with your child: the liberal can focus on the frivolity of war and the dangers of mutually assured destruction; the conservative can, in contrast, argue that peace will ensue betwee...more
Another Seuss work with a social undertone, this one is about prejudice and war. Two groups hate each other for what amounts to a completely ridiculous reason, and each thinks they are better than the other. Through classic indoctrination, their governments feed citizens the ideas that they are different and must hate one another.
A random and rather juvenile act of violence instigates a full-assault war, and it is interesting to watch as the two sides compete to see who can build a better, more...more
A random and rather juvenile act of violence instigates a full-assault war, and it is interesting to watch as the two sides compete to see who can build a better, more...more
I am a Dr. Seuss fan, and my 5 year-old is, too. No exception here for either of us, though I (and my son, I think) don't think this is his best work. I remember being old enough when this book came out in 1984 to know that it was controversial, in part because it is a book for children that takes on the arms race (in the period when there was a Soviet Union, the made-for-TV movie The Day After, and Reagan "jokingly" announcing "My fellow Americans, I'm pleased to tell you today that I've signed...more
wide reading for CI546
grade level: elementary school
genre: picture book
themes: war, one-up-man-ship
cultures: as with all Seuss books, his goofy creatures could represent any / every culture.
school use: I might use this book to teach kids about the futility of war.
review: A book that illustrates many things about war: the silly reasons we do it, the way we stay competitive in it (whoever has the most weapons wins), the slow-moving realization that gee, the enemy is Just Like Us!. "The Wall" betw...more
grade level: elementary school
genre: picture book
themes: war, one-up-man-ship
cultures: as with all Seuss books, his goofy creatures could represent any / every culture.
school use: I might use this book to teach kids about the futility of war.
review: A book that illustrates many things about war: the silly reasons we do it, the way we stay competitive in it (whoever has the most weapons wins), the slow-moving realization that gee, the enemy is Just Like Us!. "The Wall" betw...more
Okay you are probably wondering why I am talking about this book. In my Language Arts class my students had to read "The Sneetches" by Dr. Seuss. Today I read "The Butter Battle Book" also by Dr. Seuss. The idea is they are to compare and contrast the two books. Needless to say my very knowledgeable sixth graders proceeded to tell me how the Butter Battle Book is actually a political story about the Cold War. I almost dropped my teeth. Why? A few years ago when I did a lesson on the Berlin Wall...more
3 likes · like · see review
One of the most profound and powerful of Dr. Seuss's books. I would recommend it to politicians and men and women of the armed forces everywhere. Or even just those who like to quarrel and tend to let things get out of hand over heated emotion. *Sigh* I know war and fighting and a system of defense is important towards a countries "safety" and preservation or what not but by now after paying attention to history and war and all the blood that has been shed can we find a better way to solve our p...more
1 like · like · see review
A response to Cold War nuclear proliferation and mutually assured destruction as told through buttered toast.
This children's book contains an amazingly powerful message...it identifies a social flaw the way we often judge/look down on others(for ridiculousdifferences) and a wedge forms...grows and before you know it we have nuclear proliferation- Dr Suess style...yet there are no winners when it comes to war...it is very profound way to examine our world and our world's history...a lesson never too early to learn- did I mention I liked this book?
حرب الزبده النوويه...معقول في قصة أطفال كده؟!؟!؟
شعبين بنوا بينهم سور...اختلفوا مع بعض علشان واحد بيحط الزبده على التوست من فوق و التاني بيحط الزبده من تحت :D
ذكية و ممتعه جداً...زي كل قصص د/سوس :D
It's high time that you knew, of the terribly horrible thing that Zooks do.
In every Zook house and in every Zook town every Zook eats his bread, with the butter side down!
In those day, of course, the Wall wasn’t so high and I could look any Zook square in the eye.
For a while that worked fine. All the Zo...more
شعبين بنوا بينهم سور...اختلفوا مع بعض علشان واحد بيحط الزبده على التوست من فوق و التاني بيحط الزبده من تحت :D
ذكية و ممتعه جداً...زي كل قصص د/سوس :D
It's high time that you knew, of the terribly horrible thing that Zooks do.
In every Zook house and in every Zook town every Zook eats his bread, with the butter side down!
In those day, of course, the Wall wasn’t so high and I could look any Zook square in the eye.
For a while that worked fine. All the Zo...more
Another classic Seuss book, but with a definite political undertone. I only kind of liked this Seuss until I read how it was a parody of the Cold War, and that gave me a greater understand and appreciation for this book. The whole battle is over whether bread should have the butter side up or the butter side down. They then continue to bring in bigger and better weapons and technology into the war. While nothing really happens, there are constant threats, and we are left in the end really wonder...more
why do we go to war?
dr. seuss takes a really complex concept, breaks it down, and provides a wonderful (well, not wonderful-wonderful... you know what I mean) allegory for why great nations go to war.
in this case, it's because two different countries can't decide what side their bread should be buttered. and they regard each other as barbarians for not doing as they do.
i have fond memories of reading this book. it's as dark as the lorax but just as meaningful, and sometimes a dark message is nee...more
dr. seuss takes a really complex concept, breaks it down, and provides a wonderful (well, not wonderful-wonderful... you know what I mean) allegory for why great nations go to war.
in this case, it's because two different countries can't decide what side their bread should be buttered. and they regard each other as barbarians for not doing as they do.
i have fond memories of reading this book. it's as dark as the lorax but just as meaningful, and sometimes a dark message is nee...more
1 like · like · see review
I am currently discussing the allegory with my students. We are reading Animal Farm, as is the standard allegory fare. I thought I would mix it up a bit and throw them something they weren't expecting, so I chose The Butter Battle Book. As a small child, this wasn't one of my absolute favorite of Seuss's stories, but I still liked it. As an adult, I truly love and appreciate it. True, it does present a very simplistic view of a very complex problem, but it's a children's book. That's how they do...more
I know this book looks odd on my list, but its a great social commentary on the arms race. Leave it to the history major to make something out of a Dr. Seuss book... but let me tell you, The Butter Battle Book isn't the only social commentary disguised as a children's book that Seuss wrote!
I think this book shaped my opinion of war and competition long before I ever realized it, which is a testament to Dr. Seuss's genius. Like most of his other books, I re-read it as an adult and liked it even more.
1.Picture book, Controlled Vocabulary
2. This book is about the Zooks vs. the Yooks and how they choose to eat their breakfast. They fought and fought each other in the "butter side up" war. Hilarious read.
3.
a. Moral of the story
b. The moral of the story does not provide kids with a positive example. After reading the book, kids would gather the idea that fighting over differences are okay. I think Dr. Seuss shoyuld have ended the book in a positive way.
c. The book ends with "He's the end of that...more
2. This book is about the Zooks vs. the Yooks and how they choose to eat their breakfast. They fought and fought each other in the "butter side up" war. Hilarious read.
3.
a. Moral of the story
b. The moral of the story does not provide kids with a positive example. After reading the book, kids would gather the idea that fighting over differences are okay. I think Dr. Seuss shoyuld have ended the book in a positive way.
c. The book ends with "He's the end of that...more
May 06, 2008
sMarty
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Anyone who can survive a cliff hanger
Recommended to sMarty by:
A 3rd grade teacher
Shelves:
best-books-i-have-read
This is my favorite of the Dr. Seuss books I think it is so fun to see all the imaginative ideas in this book that he comes up with. It also has a great cliff hanger and teaches a lesson.
The Yooks believe bread should be eaten butter side up while the Zooks believe bread should be eaten butter side down. The Yooks and the Zooks battle on and on, each side raising the stakes until both sides stand poised to destroy one another.
I'm not a fan of this Seuss war story. I gave it 2 stars instead of just 1 because I liked the open ending that challenges readers to make up their own ending. The story itself is a conversation starter which is another reason I didn't give this book only 1...more
I'm not a fan of this Seuss war story. I gave it 2 stars instead of just 1 because I liked the open ending that challenges readers to make up their own ending. The story itself is a conversation starter which is another reason I didn't give this book only 1...more
"The Butter Battle Book" is a wonderful story. Dr. Seuss does the near impossible and manages to take a concept so complicated, so horrendous and simplify it so that children may understand it. In these few pages, Dr. Seuss manages to reveal how wars are started, how wars are continued, and how stupid they sometimes really are. Not only does this story provide a deep insight, it's a good story too. To put it simply, "The Butter Battle Book" is a wonderful book because it takes an important topic...more
Personally I loved "The Butter Battle Book" and this paragraph shows why. It is about 2 groups of creatures one group likes there bread with the butter spread under it and the other group likes there bread with there butter spread over it and because of there differences they go to war. But the part I liked was the contraptions they made they were so big and so crazy looking and every time they lost they would upgrade the contraptions and the words in the book even rhymed through out the whole s...more
This is one of the best books ever written, children or otherwise. This is about a war that escalates over which way a culture spreads butter on their bread. It is a mirror of our own society and how ridiculous we are to destroy so many lives over something that is ego and superficial. Dr. Seuss is an obvious pacifist and what I would call a perspectionist. He allows us to see ourselves through the perspective of his inventive characterizations. Wonderful book. It is an antiwar demonstration and...more
As absurd as this kids story might look, it's nothing but a sketchy cartoonish representation of the world.
Two neighboring countries fighting over neither resources nor a valid reason. Fighting only to prove the others wrong over something as silly and absurd as the way the other country eat their toast (butter side up or down).
This story teaches the child to accept others and the way they're different. My only issue with it is that didn't deliver a deciding message at the end of the book. Other...more
Two neighboring countries fighting over neither resources nor a valid reason. Fighting only to prove the others wrong over something as silly and absurd as the way the other country eat their toast (butter side up or down).
This story teaches the child to accept others and the way they're different. My only issue with it is that didn't deliver a deciding message at the end of the book. Other...more
لو عاوز تحكي للابنك او بنتك او اي طفل عن فكرة الاختلاف
العبيط اللي ممكن يعمل كوراث
ممكن تحكي ليه القصة دي ببساطة
ال يوركز
و ال زووكس
كل واحد فيهم علي الحدود بتاعته
الاختلاف اللي ما بينهم
دول بيدهنوا الزبدة من فوق
ودول بيدهنوها من تحت
:))
وكل واحد شايف نفسه هو صاحب الحق
دا بيجر شكل دا
دا بيعمل سلاح ف التاني بيخاف ف يعمل سلاح أكبر
وسلاح أكبر ف سلاح أكبر
محدش فيهم بيدور علي اصل المشكلة ان مفيش اصلا مشكلة
لغاية ما بيوصلوا لسلاح فتاك
هما الاتنين وبيقفوا علي السور
وبيشوفوا هيعملوا ايه ف بعض؟؟
فيه كدا ف الكوكب
:))
العبيط اللي ممكن يعمل كوراث
ممكن تحكي ليه القصة دي ببساطة
ال يوركز
و ال زووكس
كل واحد فيهم علي الحدود بتاعته
الاختلاف اللي ما بينهم
دول بيدهنوا الزبدة من فوق
ودول بيدهنوها من تحت
:))
وكل واحد شايف نفسه هو صاحب الحق
دا بيجر شكل دا
دا بيعمل سلاح ف التاني بيخاف ف يعمل سلاح أكبر
وسلاح أكبر ف سلاح أكبر
محدش فيهم بيدور علي اصل المشكلة ان مفيش اصلا مشكلة
لغاية ما بيوصلوا لسلاح فتاك
هما الاتنين وبيقفوا علي السور
وبيشوفوا هيعملوا ايه ف بعض؟؟
فيه كدا ف الكوكب
:))
Let me just tell you how much I love this book.
I love this book this -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------...more
I love this book this -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------...more
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I remember reading this book when I was a kid. :) I think every single person on Earth needs to read or be read this book. If everyone understood the message that Dr. Seuss managed to distill in this story, we could save all of the lives, the money, and the misery that frivolous wars over religion and ideology cause the world. Just think how much better the world would be if Catholic, Protestant, Jewish and Muslim extremists would just realize that they're all essentially eating the same bread...more
Mom's Review: Absolutely brilliant book about diversity, acceptance and the stupidity of war that is just as relevant today as when it was written in 1984 (although obviously written years earlier). Done with Seuss' usual delightful artwork and wonderful rhyme, it is one of those stories that will stand the tests of time. This is one of my favorite books of all time ever since it was introduced to me by my professor for the Children's Literature course I took in college. I am still amazed that t...more
Author/Illustrator: Theodor Geisel
Genre: Fiction Picture Book
Year Published: 1984 by Random House Books for Young Readers
Reading Level: Late Early
Topic/Theme: War/Battles
Issues Addressed: The Cold War, Differences (in opinion), Intolerance
Classroom Uses: Read Aloud, Individual Reading, Guided Reading
Summary: Do you eat your toast butter side up or butter side down? This may seem trivial, but it isn't. The Zooks and the Yooks battle over the correct way to eat toast. This book pokes fun at the C...more
Genre: Fiction Picture Book
Year Published: 1984 by Random House Books for Young Readers
Reading Level: Late Early
Topic/Theme: War/Battles
Issues Addressed: The Cold War, Differences (in opinion), Intolerance
Classroom Uses: Read Aloud, Individual Reading, Guided Reading
Summary: Do you eat your toast butter side up or butter side down? This may seem trivial, but it isn't. The Zooks and the Yooks battle over the correct way to eat toast. This book pokes fun at the C...more
Another Dr. Seuss masterpiece, as he writes another rhyming story but this time it deals with war and prejudice. The Yooks and the Zooks oppose each other and go to war over what side of the bread they put the butter on. When the war begins, each side builds larger and larger weapons that would destroy the other side. This continues until a young boy comes a long and makes the two sides realize how silly they are being, for waging war on one another because of which side of the bread the butter...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seuss Lovers: The Butter Battle Book | 1 | 1 | Dec 06, 2012 06:33pm | |
| wait how many grandfathers are there....? Who is the narrator? | 4 | 6 | May 25, 2012 10:09am |
Theodor Seuss Geisel was born 2 March 1904 in Springfield, MA. He graduated Dartmouth College in 1925, and proceeded on to Oxford University with the intent of acquiring a doctorate in literature. At Oxford he met Helen Palmer, who he wed in 1927. He returned from Europe in 1927, and began working for a magazine called Judge, the leading humor magazine in America at the time, submitting both carto...more
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Dec 10, 2012 10:44am