The Butter Battle

It wasn't until I was an adult that I discovered Dr. Seuss' The Butter Battle. This book was published in the ominous year of 1984, during the Cold War. The Butter Battle is the rhyming tale of the Zooks and the Yooks, who wage a war over which side of the bread to spread butter on.

"But we are Yooks, as you know,
when we breakfast or sup,
spread our bread," Grandpa said,
"with the butter side up.
That's the right, honest way!"
Grandpa gritted his teeth.
"So you can't trust a Zook who spreads butter underneath!
Every Zook must be watched!
He has kinks in his soul!"

The Zooks and the Yooks continue to build bigger and more destructive weapons, from the Snick-Berry Switch to the Big-Boy Boomeroo, in competition over the correct way to butter bread. In the end, the Zooks and the Yooks both have the Big-Boy Boomeroo that will blow them both to smithereens. Will they drop the Big-Boy Boomeroo?

Will you? Or will he...?
"Be patient," said Grandpa. "We'll see.
We will see..."

There are so many underlying, moral messages in The Butter Battle. This book is a great catalyst for discussing with children conflict and tolerance, as well as what is wrong with amassing weapons of mass destruction. This book is thought-provoking for all ages, and it reminds us that a lot of killing, genocide, and war begins with somewhat trivial issues in relation to the value of human life.