The Butter Battle Book: (New York Times Notable Book of the Year) (Classic Seuss) | 
| Authors: Dr. Seuss, Theodor Seuss Geisel
Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers
List Price: $14.95
Buy New: $8.63
as of 11/22/2009 07:03 CST details
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New (35) Used (41) Collectible (11) from $5.85
Seller: allnewbooks
Rating:  53 reviews
Sales Rank: 3619
Media: Hardcover
Edition: First Printing
Reading Level: Ages 4-8
Pages: 56
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 11 x 8.3 x 0.4
ISBN: 0394865804
EAN: 9780394865805
ASIN: 0394865804
Publication Date: January 12, 1984
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com Review
A cautionary Cold War tale (first told by Dr. Seuss back in 1984), The Butter Battle Book still has a lot to teach about intolerance and how tit-for-tat violence can quickly get out of hand. Explaining the very serious differences between the Zooks and the Yooks, a Zook grandpa tells his grandchild the unspeakable truth: "It's high time that you knew of the terribly horrible thing that Zooks do. In every Zook house and every Zook town every Zook eats his bread with the butter side down!" He then recalls his days with the Zook-Watching Border Patrol, as he gave any Zook who dared come close "a twitch with my tough-tufted prickley Snick-Berry Switch." But when the Zooks fought back, the switches gave way to Triple-Sling Jiggers, then Jigger-Rock Snatchems--even a Kick-a-Poo Kid that was "loaded with powerful Poo-a-Doo Powder and ants' eggs and bees' legs and dried-fried clam chowder." With lots of fun and more-than-fair digs at the runaway spending and one-upmanship of U.S.-Soviet days, The Butter Battle Book makes a chuckle-filled read whether you're old enough to get the historical references or not. (And with all the Bitsy Big-Boy Boomeroos still in service, this book's message is far from obsolete.) (Ages 4 to 8) --Paul Hughes
Product Description
Illus. in full color.
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 53
Great Book! August 4, 2009
David Lacy-kusters (Wilmington, DE)
This book is about different people that live on opposite sides of a brick wall. I really enjoyed reading this book.
 A Thinly Veiled Political Screed May 23, 2009
Shanna A. Gonzalez (Gaithersburg, MD)
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
A thinly veiled political screed against the Cold War between the US and the former Soviet Union. The Yooks (Yanks) and the Zooks are two peoples living on opposite sides of a great Wall. Their feud begins because the Yooks prefer their bread buttered on the top, while the Zooks prefer it on the bottom. They begin to antagonize each other, escalating with each new episode as military representatives approach the wall. There they face off, posturing with larger and larger weapons, until finally each side concocts a weapon that will wipe out the entire population. The story ends in the middle of a sentence as each threateningly proffers their bomb against the other.
While the book is written in typically lighthearted Seussical style, with wordplay and plenty of visual humor, this story is unsatisfying for young readers because of its cliffhanger ending, which they will not understand. Even for those who accept the premise that the Cold War was a bit of ridiculous posturing over minor cultural differences ought to concede that this is not the venue in which to make such an argument. It's a dirty trick for Seuss to use his reputation as a basically harmless fun writer as a soapbox for a political agenda, and then attempt to disguise it as a real story.
I Love Dr. Seuss, not The Butter Battle Book February 26, 2009
Reckless Consumer (USA)
2 out of 4 found this review helpful
There's a reason this book's popularity pales in comparison with the gazillion other wonderful books Dr. Seuss created. I believe Dr. Seuss was a genius, and my political leanings are in line with his. The only explanation I can come up with for this book is that it wasn't intended for children or non-violent adults, but rather to send to war mongers to show them the error of their ways. My five and seven year old daughters found it downright disturbing. I "accidentally" skipped over much of it when I saw the look of sadness, concern, and utter confusion on their faces. It details a war between two nations, and the somewhat silly names for the weaponry are not nearly enough to make the increasingly morbid arms race palatable.
There are just so many better Dr. Seuss books: for big kids and adults, try "Did I Ever Tell You How Lucky You Are", "Oh, the Places You Will Go", or "Happy Birthday to You"; for little kids, read "One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish", "Go Dog, Go!", and "Dr. Seuss's ABC". These are a much better representation of this man's talent, and just a tiny taste of the incredible treasures he left for the world to enjoy.
P.S. ANYTHING adapted by Tish Rabe for Dr. Seuss is excellent as well, and great for intelligent elementary-aged kids.
 great book...family favorite January 23, 2009
C. Emerson (New Hampshire)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This book was a childhood favorite that I am now enjoying again with my daughter. It is a funny, lyrical book that you will enjoy reading with your child.
 Another warning re: young children January 22, 2009
E. Hinchman
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
My two-year-old son and I love Seuss, and we love reading masterpieces like On Beyond Zebra or If I Ran the Circus every night together. My son also loves this book, but I do not. What he loves are the ever more elaborate weapons systems shown in the illustrations. He cannot understand the anti-Cold War message. (He can, by contrast, understand the environmental message in The Lorax, which doesn't require a grasp of game theory.) All he wants to do with the book is look at the weapons and talk about the weapons. I could perhaps overlook the unfortunate fact that my son is a budding war-monger if the verse were up to the Seussian standard, but it isn't. In fact it's quite pedestrian. I think this book is for Seuss completists only. Fortunately, ours is a library copy. It's the one full-size Seuss book we won't be purchasing.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 53
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