The Sneetches and Other Stories

In a lovely place by the sea, there lived two kinds of Sneetches. Some had stars on their bellies, and some did not. The Star-Belly Sneetches thought they were the best, and they never invited the Plain-Belly Sneetches to their parties or picnics. One sunny morning, a curious Plain-Belly Sneetch named Sam was exploring the beach. As he was picking up pretty shells, he heard a strange noise. Turning around, he saw a peculiar contraption on wheels, and beside it stood a jolly old man with a tall hat and a swirling mustache. "Hello, dear Sneetch!" the man called. "I'm Sylvester McMonkey McBean, and I have something that will change your life!" Sam's eyes widened in excitement. "What is it?" McBean beamed and pointed to his machine. "This is my Star-On Machine! For just a small fee, you can get a shiny star on your belly and be just like the Star-Belly Sneetches!" Sam imagined all the fun parties and the happy picnics he could join. He quickly handed over his money and stepped into the machine. With a whirr and a pop, Sam emerged with a bright star on his belly. He danced with joy and ran to show his friends. Soon, news of the Star-On Machine spread across the beach. All the Plain-Belly Sneetches hurried to McBean, eager to get their own stars. As more and more Sneetches got stars, the Star-Belly Sneetches started feeling less special. Not one to miss an opportunity, McBean rolled out another machine. "Ladies and gentlemen," he announced, "I now have the Star-Off Machine! If you're tired of your star, I can remove it for you!" This new machine caused quite a stir. The original Star-Belly Sneetches, not wanting to be outdone, rushed to get their stars removed. Soon, all the Sneetches were going in and out of the machines, getting stars on and stars off, in a swirl of confusion. In the middle of all the chaos, Sam noticed something. He looked at his friends—some with stars, some without—and realized that stars or no stars, they were all just Sneetches at heart. He gathered everyone around and shared his thoughts. "Hey, everyone!" Sam called out. "Stars or no stars, we are all the same. Let's stop worrying about these silly marks and just enjoy our time together!" The Sneetches paused and thought about what Sam said. Slowly, they began to see the wisdom in his words. They decided to stop jumping in and out of the machines and started playing games and having picnics together, just like they always wanted. Sylvester McMonkey McBean, seeing that his business was over, quietly packed up his machines and rolled away, leaving the Sneetches to their newfound harmony. On that beach by the sea, the Sneetches learned that it didn't matter what was on their bellies but what was in their hearts. And from that day on, they lived happily, enjoying each other's company without a single care about stars.