Green Eggs and Ham

Green Eggs and Hamis achildren's bookbyDr. Seuss. It was published by theBeginner Booksimprint ofRandom Houseon August 12, 1960. The book follows Sam-I-am as he follows an unnamed man, repeatedly asking him if he would like to try some green eggs and ham before the man eventually tries it and likes it. Seuss began writingGreen Eggs and Hamafter his editorBennett Cerfbet him $50 (equivalent to $515 in 2023) that he could not write an engaging children's book with a vocabulary of 50 words. Finding the challenge difficult, Seuss used notes, charts, and checklists to keep track of his progress. The book covers themes of conflict between individuals, though Seuss has said that it lacks any deeper meaning.Green Eggs and Hamwas widely praised by critics for its writing and illustration, and the challenge of writing a book in 50 words is regarded as a success. The book has been the subject of multiple adaptations, including atelevision series of the same namein 2019.
Sam-I-am offers an unnamed man a plate of green eggs and ham, but the man tells him that he hates the food. Sam continues to follow the man, asking him to eat the food in some locations (house, box, car, tree, train, dark, rain, boat) and with some animals (mouse, fox, goat) for dining partners. Finally, when the man agrees to try the dish Sam-I-am has offered, he realizes that he does like green eggs and ham. He announces that he will eat them anywhere, and he thanks Sam-I-am.
Green Eggs and Hamwas written byTheodor Seuss Geiselunder his pen name Dr. Seuss. He wrote the book after his editor atRandom House,Bennett Cerf, bet him $50 (equivalent to $515 in 2023) that he could not write an engaging children's book using a vocabulary of only 50 distinct words.The bet was a response to Seuss's previous success,The Cat in the Hat, which was written using 236 distinct words.Seuss took extensive notes to work out how to best use 50 words, creating different charts and checklists.By the time he finished arranging the words, he had memorized many of the statistics of how he used them.
Seuss found the restriction especially challenging, and he rewrote many pages before he was satisfied with the rhymes.The drafts were typed onrice paper, which Seuss attached to his illustrations.His wifeHelen Palmersometimes placed his discarded drafts back on his desk in the hope that he would approve of them after looking at them a second time, though he rarely did.
Early drafts had the unnamed man speak more aggressively to Sam-I-am. When the two characters were in a car atop the tree, he was originally written as saying "Sam-I-am. You let me be. Not in a car. You let me be!". Seuss changed this to "I would not, could not in a tree. Not in a car! You let me be.", making the outburst less direct and moving the exclamation point away from the command. In another example, he is written as saying "I do not like you, Sam-I-am". The drafts also described the subject asgreen ham and eggsinstead of the final wording,green eggs and ham.
Dr. Seuss finished writingGreen Eggs and Hamin the early spring of 1960.A reading was scheduled for April 19 in the office of Louise Bonino atRandom House. These readings were often attended by the entire staff, but Cerf was out of the office that day, so a dinner party was arranged for the reading.The reading ended with applause, but Seuss remained self-critical and scrutinized pages that he felt did not get the reaction he had hoped.Phyllis Cerfhad intended to announceGreen Eggs and Hamwith two other children's books,Are You My Mother?andPut Me in the Zoo, and a publicist was sent to request that reviewers postpone reviews after advance sheets had been distributed early.
Green Eggs and Hamwas published on August 12, 1960.At the time, approximately three million Dr. Seuss books had already been sold.
Dr. Seuss believed that children's books had more power to do good or evil for society than any other medium, andGreen Eggs and Hamwas the first of Seuss's Beginner Books to carry a lesson for children.Despite this, Dr. Seuss has said that there is no deeper meaning in the book, insisting that "the only meaning was that Bennett Cerf, my publisher, bet me fifty bucks I couldn't write a book using only fifty words".
Green Eggs and Hamreverses the traditional structure of an adult trying to convince a child to try new foods.It is one of many Dr. Seuss books about a defiance of norms—in this case, the persistence of Sam-I-am after his offer of green eggs and ham is rejected. It explores the underlying social connection between individuals set in opposition to one another, but it does so in a way that appeals to the interests of children.Both characters refuse to move from their decision throughout the book until the adult finally gives in at the end.
Green Eggs and Hamonly uses 50 words: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, andyou.Of these words,anywhereis the only one to have more than one syllable.The different words are combined for a total length of 681 words,and the most common words arenotandI, which are used 82 and 81 times, respectively.
The narrative ofGreen Eggs and Hamis told in a question-and-answer structure.Consistent use of the nameSam-I-aminstead of simplySamallowed Seuss to maintain meter when rhyming it with the eponymousgreen eggs and ham. The title ofGreen Eggs and Hamis a play on the common phraseham and eggs, inverting it to draw the reader's attention.
Literature professorDonald E. Peasedescribed Sam-I-am as "a youngGrinch-like creature".One academic, Tim Wolf, argued that Sam-I-am has no distinguishing gender or sex and could be read as male or female.
It has been reported that the book was banned inChinafrom 1965 to 1991 because it supposedly contained themes of "early Marxism"— that is to say,Soviet-style socialism(which wasat oddswithChinese socialism). Allegedly, the breakfast was interpreted as a metaphor for Soviet socialism, with many initially rejecting it but eventually coming to enjoy it after "trying" it.
Green Eggs and Hamwas widely praised upon its release, and reviewers overwhelmingly celebrated that the book was written using only 50 distinct words.Emily Maxwell ofThe New Yorkercommented on Seuss's use of the vocabulary, saying that "reading him, one is hardly aware that therearemore than fifty words".It was praised for its rhythm and illustrationsas well as its use of rhymes.The humorous nature of the book was also received positively.
The Saturday Review of Literaturepraised the book's pacing, paying attention specifically to the opening pages in which Sam-I-am introduces himself with a placard.Professor of children's literaturePhilip Nelsimilarly lauded the introduction for introducing the conflict of the book visually through Sam-I-am's active movement and the unnamed man's avoidance.
In 1999, theNational Education Associationconducted an online survey of children and teachers, seeking the 100 most popular children's books. The children rankedGreen Eggs and Hamthird, just above another Dr. Seuss book,The Cat in the Hat.The teachers ranked it fourth.Teachers ranked it fourth again in a 2007 National Education Association poll.Scholastic Parent & Childmagazine 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 bySchool Library Journal– the first of five Dr. Seuss books on the list.
In 1967,Green Eggs and Hamranked as the best-selling children's book.At the end of 2000, it had sold 8,143,088 copies, making it the most popular book by Dr. Seuss and the all-time fourth best-selling hardcover children's book in the United States.
At Dr. Seuss'salma mater,Dartmouth College, it became an inside joke that the book's title was a reference to the breakfast food served in the on-campus cafeteria.When Dr. Seuss received an honorary doctorate fromPrinceton Universityin 1985, the graduating class rose and recitedGreen Eggs and Hamin its entirety for him.Dr. Seuss reportedly spent the rest of his life enduring gifts of green eggs and ham, which he described as "deplorable stuff".Later in life, he said thatGreen Eggs and Hamwas the only book of his that still made him laugh.
The Green Eggs and Ham Cafe opened in the Seuss Landing island at theUniversal Islands of Adventuretheme park in 1999. It closed in 2015 before reopening in 2019. The cafe serves the titular green eggs and ham as well as other foods featured in Dr. Seuss books.
U.S. District Court Judge James Muirhead referencedGreen Eggs and Hamin 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.SenatorTed Cruzread the book on the floor of theUnited States Senateduring hisfilibusterover the funding of theAffordable Care Act.Musicianwill.i.amhas stated that his moniker is inspired by the story.
Many parodies ofGreen Eggs and Hamhave been created, including a rap song byMoxy Früvousand a sketch onSaturday Night Livefeaturing the ministerJesse Jacksonreading the book during a sermon.
Green Eggs and Hamhas been adapted into stage and television versions.In 1973, it was adapted as an animated television special alongsideThe SneetchesandThe Zax. Originally titledDr. Seuss on the Loose, the special was later renamedGreen Eggs and Ham and Other Stories.The book was adapted as a video game for theGame Boy Advance,Dr. Seuss' Green Eggs and Ham,published byNewKidCoand released on November 17, 2003.A television adaptation was released byNetflixin 2019, also titledGreen Eggs and Ham. It starsAdam DeVineas Sam-I-Am, a wildlife protector, andMichael Douglasas the unnamed man, a failed inventor who is given the name Guy-Am-I for the series. The show introduces new characters, settings, and plots independently from the book.A graphic novelGreen Eggs and Ham Take a Hike, released on January 7, 2025, is written and illustrated byJames Kochalka.In the graphic novel, the unnamed man's name is Walter.