Basically, each side is trying to one up the other in terms of modernization. To see how that turned out, check out Shmoop's own take on The Cuban Missile Crisis. A conflict is clash or serious disagreement. But you've probably have caught it by now: The Butter Battle Book isn't really about buttering bread. But allegories are flexible. It is an anti-war story; specifically, a parable about arms races in general, mutually assured destruction and nuclear weapons in particular. This story thus lends itself to a discussion with children about the concept of war itself, the moral issues related to … / Who's going to drop it? Let's take a look at the Seuss version. While it may not be the first thing your kids think about, adults will pretty quickly see the relationship between the Big-Boy Boomeroo and the atomic bomb. Or if it is, we're reading way too much into it. If this book is about history, let's start there. What's happening here? You realize your panther-cheetah is, in fact, a water buffalo. Picture this: you just got that new computer you've been drooling over. Both the United States and the Soviet Union had nuclear weapons and in sufficient quantities that the results of a nuclear war seemed to be mutual annihilation. The conflict between the Yooks (Americans) and the Zooks (Russians) seems so trivial but can easily relate to the Nuclear Arms Race that was mainly fueled by national pride and egocentricity. So yeah, The Butter Battle Book is kind of like that except with weapons of mass destruction instead of computers. BACK; NEXT ; What is this book really about? Oh, gee! Okay, we're getting ahead of ourselves. Although, since we're all still here, you can probably guess. Or if it is, we're reading way too much into it. / Will you...? (200-202). Then, as you're showing it off to everyone, some jerk pipes up and pulls out his new computer that's even sleeker and faster than yours. And it only stops when they reach "a gadget that's Newer than New" (165). Dr. Seuss definitely had war on the brain. Don't forget: the nationalism in both the Yook-Zook rivalry and the Cold War was complimented by a desire for technological superiority. More likely, Dr. Seuss's tale is an allegory for the nuclear arms race during World War II and the Cold War. When Dr. Seuss published the book in 1984, the Berlin Wall was still standing, so the allegory was especially current and topical. And so, our friend Ted gives us the good story behind the Cold War arms race by making it accessible. Duh. At that moment, people became like the young Yook asking, "Be Careful! Over the issue of how the Yooks and Zooks butter their bread? The themes in The Butter Battle Book are as relevant as ever. In The Butter Battle Book (TBBB), Dr. Seuss is clearly portraying the social issues that were arising between the Soviet Union and the United States during the Cold War. A dangerous cocktail, indeed. Even to the littl'uns. Or will he...?" The Cold War arms race arrived at its climax at about the same position. In The Butter Battle Book, there is a conflict between the Yooks and the Zooks over how to butter bread. How can you top that? The Butter Battle Book Meaning. After all, his young adult life spanned the two World Wars, providing him lots of material for his political cartoons and his writing to boot. The Butter Battle Book is an allegory for the nuclear arms race and the state of mutually assured destruction (MAD) that occurred during the Cold War.