Green Eggs and Ham - wikipedia Green Eggs and Ham For the television series, see Green Eggs and Ham ( TV series ). For the video game, see Dr. Seuss : Green Eggs and Ham ( video game ). Green Eggs and Ham Author Dr. Seuss Cover artist Dr. Seuss Country United States Language English Genre Children 's literature Publisher Random House The Living Books Company Publication date August 12, 1960 ISBN 978 - 0 - 394 - 80016 - 5 OCLC 184476 Preceded by One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish Followed by The Sneetches and Other Stories Green Eggs and Ham is a children 's book by Dr. Seuss, first published on August 12, 1960. As of 2016, the book has sold 8 million copies worldwide. The story has appeared in several adaptations starting with 1973 's Dr. Seuss on the Loose starring Paul Winchell as the voice of both Sam - I - Am and the first - person narrator. Contents 1 Plot summary 2 Background 3 Reception and cultural impact 4 Adaptations 5 Temporary ban 6 Selected translations 7 References 8 External links Plot summary A character named `` Sam - I - am '' pesters an unnamed character to try a plate of green eggs and ham. The unnamed character refuses, responding, `` I do not like green eggs and ham. I do not like them, Sam - I - am. '' He continues to repeat this as Sam persistently follows him, asking him to try them in eight locations ( house, box, car, tree, train, dark, rain, boat ) and with three animals ( mouse, fox, and goat ). Finally, he gives into Sam 's pestering and tries the green eggs and ham, which he does like after all and happily responds, `` I do so like green eggs and ham. Thank you. Thank you, Sam - I - am. '' Background 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 50 different words and was the result of a bet between Seuss and Bennett Cerf, Dr. Seuss 's publisher. that Seuss ( after completing The Cat in the Hat using 236 words ) could not complete an entire book without exceeding that limit. The 50 words 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. Reception and cultural impact Green Eggs and Ham was published on August 12, 1960. By 2001, it had become the fourth - best selling English - language children 's hardcover book of all time. As of 2014, the book has sold 8 million copies. In 1999 the National Education Association ( NEA ) conducted an online survey of children and teachers, seeking the 100 most popular children 's books. The children ranked Green Eggs and Ham third, just above another Dr. Seuss book, The Cat in the Hat. The teachers ranked it fourth. Teachers ranked it fourth again in a 2007 NEA poll. Scholastic Parent & Child magazine placed it # 7 among the `` 100 Greatest Books for Kids '' in 2012. That same year, it was ranked number 12 among the `` Top 100 Picture Books '' in a survey published by School Library Journal -- the first of five Dr. Seuss books on the list. The book has become sufficiently ingrained in the cultural consciousness that U.S. District Court Judge James Muirhead referenced Green Eggs and Ham in his September 21, 2007 court ruling after receiving an egg in the mail from prisoner Charles Jay Wolff who was protesting against the prison diet. Muirhead ordered the egg destroyed and rendered his judgment in the style of Seuss. Senator Ted Cruz read the book on the floor of the United States Senate during his filibuster over the funding over Obamacare. Musician will.i.am has stated that his moniker is inspired by the story. On September 29, 1991, following Dr. Seuss ' death earlier that week, the Reverend Jesse Jackson recited an excerpt of Green Eggs and Ham on Saturday Night Live during a special tribute segment. Adaptations Green Eggs and Ham is the third of the three Geisel stories that were adapted into the television special Dr. Seuss on the Loose, which featured a connecting narration by The Cat In The Hat, in 1973. ( The Sneetches and The Zax were the other two. ) The song `` Green Eggs and Ham '' was recorded by the band Moxy Früvous on their 1992 independent debut album Moxy Früvous and is a rap treatment of the famous story. The book was also made into a Living Books adaptation for the PC. Although similar there were differences to reflect the new media such as Sam - I - Am sings his opening lines. An upcoming animated television series based on the book, Green Eggs and Ham, will premiere on Netflix in 2018, produced by Warner Bros. Animation, A Very Good Production, A Stern Talking To, Random House Children 's Entertainment and Gulfstream Television and distributed by Warner Bros. Television. The book was also featured as one of the segments brought to life via live - action in a stage - play fashion in the 1994 TV film In Search of Dr. Seuss. Punk Wave band Vader Vader adapted Green Eggs And Ham to original music and recorded it as a demo. Unfortunately, they were not able to secure the rights to release it. Pat - Ric Nasty, Vader Vader 's lead singer, did create a music video for the demo and is trying to obtain permission to release it. Temporary ban Main article : Book censorship in China In 1965, the book was banned in the People 's Republic of China for its `` portrayal of early Marxism ''. The ban was lifted in 1991, following Seuss ' death. Selected translations לֹא רָעֵב וְלֹא אוֹהֵב ( Lo ra'ev ve - lo ohev, 1960, Hebrew ISBN 9789652294661 ) Huevos verdes con jamón ( 1960, Spanish, ISBN 1880507013 ) Groene eieren met ham ( 1960s, Dutch, ISBN 9024002966 ) 火腿 加 綠 蛋 ( Huǒ tuǐ jiā lǜ dàn, 1992, Chinese, ISBN 9573211254 ) Prosciutto e uova verdi ( 2002, Italian, ISBN 880902446X ) Virent ova ! Viret perna ! ( 2003, Latin, ISBN 0865165556 ) Kto zje zielone jajka sadzone ? ( 2004, Polish, ISBN 8372781249 ) Les œufs verts au jambon ( 2009, French, ISBN 9781569756881 ) Grünes Ei mit Speck ( 2011, German, ISBN 9783596854417 ) References Jump up ^ http://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/arts/literature/20-best-selling-childrens-books9.htm Jump up ^ `` Dr. Seuss on the Loose ''. IMDB. Retrieved December 2, 2013. ^ Jump up to : `` 10 stories behind Dr. Seuss stories ''. CNN. January 23, 2009. Retrieved 2009 - 01 - 26. Jump up ^ `` Green Eggs and Ham ''. snopes.com. 2012. Retrieved May 4, 2012. Jump up ^ `` 99 Interesting Facts about the world # 18 ''. All That is Interesting. Retrieved 22 January 2015. Jump up ^ ( 1 ) Jump up ^ A 50 - year feast in 50 words, Marketplace. Retrieved 12 August 2010. Jump up ^ `` Happy Birthday Sam - I - Am ! 50 Years of Green Eggs and Ham ''. Gnews. 2012. Retrieved May 4, 2012. Jump up ^ `` All - Time Bestselling Children 's Books ''. Publishers Weekly. 17 December 2001. Archived from the original on December 25, 2005. Jump up ^ Menand, Louis. `` A Critic at Large : Cat People : What Dr. Seuss Really Taught Us ''. The New Yorker. 23 December 2002. Jump up ^ Kids ' top 100 books NEA : National Education Association. Retrieved 26 November 2006. Jump up ^ `` Teachers ' Top 100 Books ''. NEA : National Education Association. Retrieved 26 November 2006. Jump up ^ National Education Association ( 2007 ). `` Teachers ' Top 100 Books for Children ''. Retrieved August 19, 2012. Jump up ^ `` Parent & Child 100 Greatest Books for Kids '' ( PDF ). Scholastic Corporation. 2012. Retrieved March 25, 2013. Jump up ^ Bird, Elizabeth ( July 6, 2012 ). `` Top 100 Picture Books Poll Results ''. A Fuse # 8 Production. Blog. School Library Journal ( blog.schoollibraryjournal.com ). Retrieved August 19, 2012. Jump up ^ `` Judge makes ' Green Eggs and Ham ' ruling ''. MSNBC. Jump up ^ `` ORDER the egg filed by the plaintiff is to be destroyed re : 55 Motion for Contempt, injunction '', Wolff v. NH Department of Corrections et al ( Case 1 : 2006cv00321 ), September 18, 2007, Filing 56 Jump up ^ http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/why-ted-cruz-read-green-eggs-and-ham-in-the-u-s-senate-1.1867499 Jump up ^ https://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/23/magazine/23FOB-Q4-t.html?_r=0 Jump up ^ ( 2 ) ABC News 2010 Jump up ^ Andreeva, Nellie ( April 29, 2015 ). `` Netflix Picks Up ' Green Eggs and Ham ' Animated Series From Ellen DeGeneres ''. Deadline. Retrieved April 30, 2015. Jump up ^ http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2012/01/20/surprisingly-banned-books_n_1218905.html Jump up ^ `` Banned Books Week : Green Eggs and Ham ''. New York Public Library. Retrieved December 2, 2013. External links Claasen, Lynda ( 16 January 2015 ). How Dr. Seuss Created Green Eggs and Ham ( Video ). Dr. Seuss Characters The Cat in the Hat The Grinch Horton the Elephant Bartholomew Cubbins Bibliography And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins The King 's Stilts The Seven Lady Godivas Horton Hatches the Egg McElligot 's Pool Thidwick the Big - Hearted Moose Bartholomew and the Oobleck If I Ran the Zoo Scrambled Eggs Super ! Horton Hears a Who ! On Beyond Zebra ! If I Ran the Circus How the Grinch Stole Christmas ! The Cat in the Hat The Cat in the Hat Comes Back Yertle the Turtle and Other Stories Happy Birthday to You ! Green Eggs and Ham One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish The Sneetches and Other Stories Dr. Seuss 's Sleep Book Dr. Seuss 's ABC Fox in Socks Hop on Pop I Had Trouble in Getting to Solla Sollew Come over to My House The Foot Book I Can Lick 30 Tigers Today ! and Other Stories Mr. Brown Can Moo ! Can You ? : Dr. Seuss 's Book of Wonderful Noises ! The Lorax Marvin K. Mooney Will You Please Go Now ! Did I Ever Tell You How Lucky You Are ? Wacky Wednesday Great Day for Up ! Oh, the Thinks You Can Think ! The Cat 's Quizzer I Can Read with My Eyes Shut ! Oh Say Can You Say ? The Butter Battle Book You 're Only Old Once ! I Am Not Going to Get Up Today ! Oh, the Places You 'll Go ! There 's a Wocket in My Pocket I Wish That I Had Duck Feet Daisy - Head Mayzie My Many Colored Days Hooray for Diffendoofer Day ! The Bippolo Seed and Other Lost Stories Horton and the Kwuggerbug and More Lost Stories What Pet Should I Get ? Adaptations Television The Gerald McBoing - Boing Show ( 1956 -- 57 ) Dr. Seuss ' How the Grinch Stole Christmas ! ( 1966 ) Horton Hears a Who ! ( 1970 ) The Cat in the Hat ( 1971 ) The Lorax ( 1972 ) Dr. Seuss on the Loose ( 1973 ) The Hoober - Bloob Highway ( 1975 ) Halloween Is Grinch Night ( 1977 ) Pontoffel Pock, Where Are You ? ( 1980 ) The Grinch Grinches the Cat in the Hat ( 1982 ) The Butter Battle Book ( 1989 ) In Search of Dr. Seuss ( 1994 ) Daisy - Head Mayzie ( 1995 ) The Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss ( 1996 -- 98 ) Gerald McBoing - Boing ( 2005 -- 07 ) The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That ! ( 2010 -- present ) Green Eggs and Ham ( 2018 ) Film Horton Hatches the Egg ( short ; 1942 ) Gerald McBoing - Boing ( short ; 1950 ) How the Grinch Stole Christmas ( 2000 ) The Cat in the Hat ( 2003 ) Horton Hears a Who ! ( 2008 ) The Lorax ( 2012 ) How the Grinch Stole Christmas ( 2018 ) Other media Welcome ( Russian short film ) Seussical ( musical ) Dr. Seuss ' How the Grinch Stole Christmas ! The Musical The Grinch ( video game ) Dr. Seuss : How the Grinch Stole Christmas ! ( video game ) `` You 're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch '' ( song ) The Lorax ( play ) Other works Private Snafu The Pocket Book of Boners Your Job in Germany Our Job in Japan Design for Death The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T Hejji Society of Red Tape Cutters Flit Related A Fish out of Water Amazing World of Dr. Seuss Museum Beginner Books Dr. Seuss Goes to War The Secret Art of Dr. Seuss Dr. Seuss National Memorial Geisel Award Geisel Library Geisel School of Medicine Helen Palmer Geisel PM Political messages of Dr. Seuss Read Across America Seuss Landing as `` Theo. LeSieg ''. Posthumous. Eggs List of egg topics Types Bird Fish and amphibian Monotreme Fossil record Cephalopod Fish Reptile ( dinosaur ) Pathology Biology Embryo Ichthyoplankton Ootheca Oviparity Spawn Zygote Components Yolk White Shell As food List of egg dishes Boiled Coddled Custard desserts Deviled Eggs Benedict Fried Omelette Poached Pickled Roe Scotch Scrambled Smoked Soufflé Tea egg Trophic egg In culture Easter egg Egging Fabergé egg Humpty Dumpty Oomancy Ovo vegetarianism Yoshi Commons Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Green_Eggs_and_Ham&oldid=806335907 '' Categories : Books by Dr. Seuss 1960 children 's books Eggs in culture American children 's picture books Constrained writing Hidden categories : Pages to import images to Wikidata Talk Contents About Wikipedia Español Bahasa Indonesia Italiano עברית Кыргызча Simple English Edit links This page was last edited on 21 October 2017, at 09 : 47. 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Question: who is the main character in green eggs and ham
Answer: Sam-I-am