Green Eggs and Ham
Author	Dr. Seuss
Country	United States
Language	English
Genre(s)	Children's literature
Publisher	Random House
Publication date	1960
Media type	Print (Hardcover and paperback)
OCLC	184476
Preceded by	Happy Birthday to You!
Followed by	One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish

Green Eggs and Ham is a best-selling and critically acclaimed book by Dr. Seuss, first published in 1960. As of 2001, according to Publishers Weekly, it was the fourth-bestselling children's book of all time.^[1] It was also released in the Living Books series. File links The following pages link to this file: Green Eggs and Ham ... Theodor Seuss Geisel (pronounced ; March 2, 1904 – September 24, 1991) was an American writer and cartoonist, better known by his pen name, Dr. Seuss (often pronounced , but he himself said [1]). He published over 40 childrens books, which were often characterized by his imaginative characters and frequent use of... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... Childrens books redirects here. ... A publisher is a person or entity which engages in the act of publishing. ... // Random House is a publishing house based in New York City. ... Hardcover books A hardcover (or hardback or hardbound) is a book bound with rigid protective covers (typically of cardboard covered with cloth, heavy paper, or sometimes leather). ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article may require cleanup. ... The Online Computer Library Center (OCLC) was founded in 1967 and originally named the Ohio College Library Center. ... Happy Birthday to You is a 1959 childrens book by Dr. Seuss. ... One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish is a 1960 childrens book by Dr. Seuss. ... Theodor Seuss Geisel (pronounced ; March 2, 1904 – September 24, 1991) was an American writer and cartoonist, better known by his pen name, Dr. Seuss (often pronounced , but he himself said [1]). He published over 40 childrens books, which were often characterized by his imaginative characters and frequent use of... Year 1960 (MCMLX) was a leap year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Publishers Weekly is a weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

Plot

The story is told wholly through quotes and images. There is no internal dialogue and no additional narrative analysis.

There are two main characters: The first is unnamed, and is morose and irritable. The second is named Sam I am, and he is filled with energy and enthusiasm.

The plot revolves around Sam I am's efforts to get his friend to try a dish known as "Green eggs and ham". The friend refuses to taste the dish, and only wants to be left in peace. Sam I am goes through an assortment of locations (house, car, tree) and dining partners (fox, goat, mouse) trying to persuade his friend to eat, but without success.

The triumphant conclusion of Seuss's tale occurs when Sam I am's pal, standing in shallow water after a boat sinks, surrounded by various people and beasts, finally agrees to try the delicacy and pronounces it quite tasty. The sudden turnaround in the nameless character's attitude is somewhat similar to that of the Grinch, whom Sam's friend physically resembles except in having floppy ears. This article is about the Dr. Seuss book. ...

The story may be interpreted as a fable to encourage children to try new things in order to gain their benefits. Perhaps fear, pride or a feeling of superiority are making the main character grumpy and resistant to change and self-improvement.

Words

Green Eggs and Ham is one of Seuss's "Beginner Books", written in a very simple vocabulary for beginning readers. The vocabulary of the text consists of just fifty different words, of which 49 are monosyllabic (the one exception being "anywhere"). It averages 5.7 words per sentence and 1.02 syllables per word, with an exceptionally low Flesch-Kincaid grade level of -1.3. For the computer operating system, see Syllable (operating system). ... The Flesch/Flesch–Kincaid Readability Tests are readability tests designed to indicate comprehension difficulty when reading a passage of contemporary academic English. ...

A rumor has it that Bennett Cerf, Dr. Seuss's publisher, wagered $50 that Seuss could not write a book using only fifty different words.^[2] The bet came after Seuss completed The Cat in the Hat, which contains a total of 236 words. Despite Seuss's success, it is unclear whether Cerf ever paid the bet. Bennett Cerf photographed by Carl Van Vechten, 1932 Bennett Alfred Cerf (May 25, 1898 - August 27, 1971) was a publisher and co-founder of Random House, also known for his own compilations of jokes and puns, for regular personal appearances lecturing across the United States, and for his television appearances... The Cat in the Hat is a childrens book by Dr. Seuss, featuring a tall, anthropomorphic, mischievous cat, wearing a tall, red and white striped hat. ...

The tale is in the form of a so-called "cumulative" story, with a list of circumstances which gradually increases as the story progresses. Thus, one of Sam's friend's refusals goes:

I do not like them in a box.

I do not like them with a fox.

I do not like them in a house.

I do not like them with a mouse.

I do not like them here or there.

I do not like them anywhere.

I do not like green eggs and ham.

I do not like them, Sam-I-am.

Cumulative stories are a traditional genre of English folklore, for instance in the tale "This is the House that Jack Built", the folk song "Green grow the rushes, O", or the Christmas song and nursery rhyme The Twelve Days of Christmas. (See also cumulative song.) Rhyme This is the house that Jack built! This is the malt that lay in the house that Jack built. ... Folk song redirects here. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... The 1995 re-release album cover of White Christmas A Christmas song is a song which is normally sung during the Christmas period, and usually has lyrical content addressing the holiday, the winter season, or both. ... A nursery rhyme is a traditional song or poem taught to young children, originally in the nursery. ... The Twelve Days of Christmas is an English Christmas carol which enumerates a series of grandiose gifts given on each of the twelve days of Christmas. ... A cumulative song is a song whose verses are built from earlier verses, usually by simply adding a new stanza to the previous verse. ...

The fifty words used are: a, am, and, anywhere, are, be, boat, box, car, could, dark, do, eat, eggs, fox, goat, good, green, ham, here, house, I, if, in, let, like, may, me, mouse, not, on, or, rain, Sam, say, see, so, thank, that, the, them, there, they, train, tree, try, will, with, would, you. 45 of the 50 words (all but box, car, Sam, train and try) are of Germanic origin.

The meter of Green Eggs and Ham is a combination of trochaic and iambic tetrameter; for details, see Dr. Seuss's meters. In poetry, the meter or metre is the basic rhythmic structure of a verse. ... A trochee is a metrical foot used in formal poetry. ... An iamb is a metrical foot used in formal poetry. ... In poetry, a tetrameter is a line of four metrical feet: And the sheen of their spears was like stars on the sea (Anapaest tetrameter) (Byron, The Destruction of Sennacherib) You who are bent and bald and blind (Iambic tetrameter, except for the first foot which is a trochee) (W... Theodor Seuss Geisel (pronounced ; March 2, 1904 – September 24, 1991) was an American writer and cartoonist, better known by his pen name, Dr. Seuss (often pronounced , but he himself said [1]). He published over 40 childrens books, which were often characterized by his imaginative characters and frequent use of...

Drawings

Like many of Seuss' characters, Sam-I-Am and his friend are ambiguous animals; they are furry with large snouts, but stand upright, can speak, and have human facial expressions.

Sam-I-am's friend wears a tall black hat that imitates his body language: it startles, cringes, rises up indignant, etc. in synchrony with its owner.

The book also includes a number of Seuss's characteristic elaborate machines: there is a complex platter-presenting device, large artificial hands on poles to illustrate Here and There, a vehicle with a mysteriously-appearing door from which a goat emerges, and an astonishingly rickety railroad viaduct.

Reception

Green Eggs and Ham was published in 1960 and continues to be very popular. In fact, it is the fourth best selling children's hardcover book of all time.^[3] In 1999, the National Education Association conducted an online survey of the 100 most popular children's books. On both the children's and the teachers' lists, Green Eggs and Ham was ranked third, just above another Dr. Seuss book, The Cat in the Hat.^[4][5] Year 1960 (MCMLX) was a leap year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The National Education Association (NEA) is the largest labor union in the United States, representing many of the countrys teachers along with other school personnel. ... The Cat in the Hat is a childrens book by Dr. Seuss, featuring a tall, anthropomorphic, mischievous cat, wearing a tall, red and white striped hat. ...

The book is most often read to or by young children (one reviewer recommends ages 4-8), but web data suggest that it is very popular among adults as well, many of whom fondly remember having encountered the book when they were little.

The Rev. Jesse Jackson gave a famous reading of Green Eggs and Ham on Saturday Night Live's "Weekend Update" as a tribute to the death of Dr. Seuss. Jesse Louis Jackson, Sr. ... SNL redirects here. ... Weekend Update is a Saturday Night Live sketch which comments on and parodies current events. ...

The book has been translated into a number of languages including Latin (Virent Ova! Viret Perna!!). In 2006, The Food Network created a recipe for Green Eggs and Ham.^[6] It was also featured in the children's program The Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss, the Oscar-nominated film I am Sam, and was one of the three parts in the 1974 animated special, Dr. Seuss on the Loose where it is shown in the credits that the name of Sam-I-Am's friend is Joey. For other uses, see Latins and Latin (disambiguation). ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss was a live-action/puppet television series based on characters created by Dr. Seuss, produced by Jim Henson Television, which aired for two seasons (1996–1998) on Nickelodeon. ... Academy Award The Academy Awards, popularly known as the Oscars, are the most prominent and most watched film awards ceremony in the world. ... I Am Sam is a 2001 drama film that tells a story about a mentally handicapped father and his efforts to retain custody of his daughter. ... Dr. Seuss on the Loose is a 1973 animated television special, hosted by The Cat in the Hat, who appears in bridging sequences where he introduced animated adaptations of three Dr. Seuss childrens books The Sneetches, The Zax, and Green Eggs and Ham. ...

Cited in judgment

On September 21, 2007, U.S. District Court Judge James Muirhead used Dr. Seuss' "Green Eggs and Ham" in his court ruling after receiving an egg in the mail from prisoner Charles Jay Wolff. Muirhead ordered the egg destroyed as he stated in his judgment: "I do not like eggs in the file. I do not like them in any style. I will not take them fried or boiled. I will not take them poached or broiled. I will not take them soft or scrambled/Despite an argument well-rambled. No fan I am/Of the egg at hand. Destroy that egg! Today! Today! Today I say! Without delay!"^[7] is the 264th day of the year (265th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... For other uses, see United States (disambiguation) and US (disambiguation). ... District courts are a category of courts which exists in several nations. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Theodor Seuss Geisel (pronounced ; March 2, 1904 – September 24, 1991) was an American writer and cartoonist, better known by his pen name, Dr. Seuss (often pronounced , but he himself said [1]). He published over 40 childrens books, which were often characterized by his imaginative characters and frequent use of... A trial at the Old Bailey in London as drawn by Thomas Rowlandson and Augustus Pugin for Ackermanns Microcosm of London (1808-11). ... Look up rule in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Look up egg in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... For other uses, see Mail (disambiguation). ... Look up egg in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... A judgment or judgement (see spelling note below), in a legal context, is synonymous with the formal decision made by a court following a lawsuit. ...

References

1. ^ All-Time Bestselling Children's Books - 12/17/2001 - Publishers Weekly.
2. ^ Urban Legends Reference Pages: Language (Green Eggs and Ham) andSnopes. Accessed on 26 November 2006.
3. ^ A Critic at Large: Cat People The New Yorker. Issue of 23 December 2002.
4. ^ Kids' top 100 books NEA: National Education Association. Accessed on 26 November 2006.
5. ^ Teachers' Top 100 Books NEA: National Education Association. Accessed on 26 November 2006.
6. ^ Recipes:Green Eggs and Ham. The Food Network. Retrieved on 2007-06-29.
7. ^ MSNBC, Judge makes 'Green Eggs and Ham' ruling.

is the 330th day of the year (331st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 357th day of the year (358th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Also see: 2002 (number). ... is the 330th day of the year (331st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 330th day of the year (331st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 180th day of the year (181st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

• Amazon.com's Search Inside The Book includes browsing Front Cover, Sample Pages 3-5, and Back Cover as well as doing searches of the entire book.
• Seussville: various Green Eggs and Ham items.