The Butter Battle Book facts for kids
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| Author | Dr. Seuss |
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| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Children's literature, Satire |
| Publisher | Random House |
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Publication date
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1984 |
| Media type | Print (Hardcover and paperback) |
| ISBN | 0-394-86716-5 |
| OCLC | 10046060 |
| [Fic] 19 | |
| LC Class | PZ8.3.G276 Bu 1984 |
| Preceded by | Hunches in Bunches |
| Followed by | You're Only Old Once! |
The Butter Battle Book is a rhyming story written by Dr. Seuss. It was published on January 12, 1984, by Random House. This book is an anti-war story. It teaches us about arms races, where countries keep building more and more powerful weapons. It also talks about "mutually assured destruction." This means if two sides attack each other with very powerful weapons, both sides would be destroyed.
The story was written during the Cold War. This was a time when many people worried about a nuclear war and what it could do. The book is also a satire. This means it uses humor to make fun of serious problems. It shows a silly war over something small, like how to eat toast. This idea is like a war in Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift. In that story, people fought over which end of an egg to crack first.
Contents
The Story of The Butter Battle Book
A Silly War Over Butter
The story is about two groups of people, the Yooks and the Zooks. They live on different sides of a very long wall. The Yooks wear blue clothes, and the Zooks wear orange. The big difference between them is how they eat their bread. Yooks eat their bread with the butter-side up. Zooks eat their bread with the butter-side down.
This small difference causes a huge conflict. The two sides start building more and more dangerous weapons. This leads to an "arms race," where each side tries to have more powerful weapons than the other. It creates a threat where both sides could be destroyed.
The Arms Race Begins
The conflict starts when a Zook named VanItch uses a slingshot. He shoots a Yook patrolman's "Tough-Tufted Prickly Snick-Berry Switch." The patrolman is the narrator's grandfather when he was younger.
The Yooks then create a "Triple-Sling Jigger." This machine has three slingshots linked together. It works for a short time. But the next day, VanItch attacks back. He uses his own invention, the "Jigger-Rock Snatchem." This machine has three nets to catch rocks and throw them back.
Escalating Weapons
Every time the Yook patrolman is defeated, he tells the Chief Yookeroo. The Chief always says, "My Bright Boys are thinking." Then, smart Yooks are shown drawing plans for a new weapon.
The Yooks create a gun called the "Kick-A-Poo Kid." It shoots "Poo-A-Doo powder" and other strange things. A trained dog named Daniel carries this gun. The Zooks respond with an "Eight-Nozzled Elephant-Toted Boom Blitz." This machine shoots "high-explosive sour cherry stone pits."
The Yooks then invent the "Utterly Sputter." This is a large blue vehicle that sprinkles blue goo on the Zooks. The Zooks quickly make their own Sputter to fight back.
The Dangerous End
Eventually, both sides have a small, very powerful red bomb. It is called the "Bitsy Big-Boy Boomeroo." Neither side has a way to defend against this bomb. So, the Yooks' patrolman and VanItch both get ready to drop their bombs. If they do, everyone will have to hide underground.
The book ends without a clear winner. The generals from both sides are on the wall. They are ready to drop their bombs. The narrator asks his grandfather, "Who's gonna drop it? Will you or will he?" His grandfather nervously replies, "Be patient. We'll see. We will see..."
Television Special
Animated Adaptation
An animated TV special of The Butter Battle Book was made. It was created by animator Ralph Bakshi. Charles Durning was the narrator. The special aired on TNT on November 13, 1989.
The TV special followed the book very closely. It even kept the original ending, which leaves you wondering what happens next. At the end, a title card says, "The end... maybe." Dr. Seuss himself said this cartoon was the most accurate version of his work.
Voice Cast
- Charles Durning as Grandpa
- Christopher Collins as Chief Yookeroo and Various Yooks
- Miriam Flynn as Yookie-Ann Sue, Teacher, and Various Yooks
- Clive Revill as Van Itch
- Joseph Cousins as Grandson
