View source for Green Eggs and Ham

{{good article}}
{{short description|1960 children's  book by Dr. Seuss}}
{{About|the book|the Netflix series|Green Eggs and Ham (TV series)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2019}}{{Use American English|date=March 2024}}

{{Infobox book
| name              = Green Eggs and Ham
| title_orig        = 
| translator        = 
| image             = Green Eggs and Ham.jpg
| caption           = 
| author            = [[Dr. Seuss]]
| cover_artist      = Dr. Seuss
| country           = United States
| language          = English
| series            = [[Beginner Books]]
| genre             = [[Children's literature]]
| publisher         = [[Random House]]
| pub_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]]
| illustrator       = Dr. Seuss
}}
'''''Green Eggs and Ham''''' is a [[Children's literature|children's book]] by [[Dr. Seuss]]. It was published by the [[Beginner Books]] imprint of [[Random House]] on August 12, 1960. The book follows "Sam-I-am" as he follows an unnamed character, repeatedly requesting that he try a dish of green eggs and ham before the unnamed character eventually tries and approves of it.

Seuss began writing ''Green Eggs and Ham'' after his editor [[Bennett Cerf]] bet him $50 ({{Inflation|index=US|value=50|start_year=1960|fmt=eq}}) 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 Ham'' was 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 a [[Green Eggs and Ham (TV series)|television series of the same name]] in 2019.

==Plot==
<!-- NOTE: This article is about the original book, where the second character is unnamed. Do not change the name to "Guy-Am-I".-->

Sam-I-am offers an unnamed character a plate of green eggs and ham, but he tells Sam that he hates the food. Sam continues to ask him to eat the food in various locations and with various animals for dining partners. Finally, when the unnamed character agrees to try the dish Sam has offered, he realizes that he does, in fact, like green eggs and ham and he thanks Sam-I-am.

== Writing and release ==
''Green Eggs and Ham'' was written by [[Theodor Seuss Geisel]] under his pen name Dr. Seuss. He wrote the book after his editor at [[Random House]], [[Bennett Cerf]], bet him $50 ({{Inflation|index=US|value=50|start_year=1960|fmt=eq}}) that he could not write an engaging children's book using a vocabulary of only 50 distinct words.{{Sfn|Pease|2010|p=121}}<ref name="ABC">{{Cite web |date=August 12, 2010 |title=Dr. Seuss' 'Green Eggs and Ham' Turns 50 |url=https://abcnews.go.com/WN/dr-seuss-green-eggs-ham-50th-anniversary-beloved/story?id=11384227 |access-date=2024-03-21 |website=ABC News}}</ref> The bet was a response to Seuss's previous success, ''[[The Cat in the Hat]]'', which was written using 236 distinct words.<ref name="CBC">{{Cite web |last=Moran |first=Padraig |date=August 14, 2020 |title=Green Eggs and Ham is 60 years old. It started as a $50 bet between Dr. Seuss and his publisher |url=https://www.cbc.ca/radio/thecurrent/the-current-for-aug-14-2020-1.5685180/green-eggs-and-ham-is-60-years-old-it-started-as-a-50-bet-between-dr-seuss-and-his-publisher-1.5686697 |access-date=March 21, 2024 |website=CBC}}</ref> Seuss took extensive notes to work out how to best use 50 words, creating different charts and checklists.{{Sfn|Fensch|2000|p=139}}{{Sfn|Jones|2020|p=296}}{{Sfn|Morgan|Morgan|1996|p=170}} By the time he finished arranging the words, he had memorized many of the statistics of how he used them.{{Sfn|Nel|2004|p=35}}

''Green Eggs and Ham'' only 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'', and ''you''.<ref name="CBC" /> Of these words, ''not'' appears the most frequently, used a total of 82 times.{{Sfn|Morgan|Morgan|1996|p=170}} ''Anywhere'' is the only word in the book to have more than a single syllable.{{Sfn|Jones|2020|p=296}}{{Sfn|Morgan|Morgan|1996|p=170}}

Seuss found the restriction especially challenging, and he rewrote many pages before he was satisfied with the rhymes.{{Sfn|Jones|2020|p=296}} The drafts were typed on [[rice paper]], which Seuss attached to his illustrations.{{Sfn|Nel|2004|p=33}} His wife [[Helen Palmer (writer)|Helen Palmer]] sometimes 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.{{Sfn|Jones|2020|p=296}}

Early drafts had the unnamed character 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 as ''green ham and eggs'' instead of the final wording, ''green eggs and ham''.{{Sfn|Nel|2004|pp=32–33}}

Dr. Seuss finished writing ''Green Eggs and Ham'' in the early spring of 1960.{{Sfn|Jones|2020|p=296}} A reading was scheduled for April 19 in the office of Louise Bonino at [[Random 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.{{Sfn|Jones|2020|p=297}}{{Sfn|Morgan|Morgan|1996|p=169}} The reading ended with applause, but Seuss remained self-critical and scrutinized pages that he felt did not get the reaction he had hoped.{{Sfn|Jones|2020|p=297}} [[Phyllis Cerf]] had intended to announce ''Green Eggs and Ham'' with two other children's books, ''[[Are You My Mother?]]'' and ''[[Put Me in the Zoo]]'', and a publicist was sent to request that reviewers postpone reviews after advance sheets had been distributed early.{{Sfn|Morgan|Morgan|1996|p=170}}

''Green Eggs and Ham'' was published on August 12, 1960.<ref name="ABC" /> At the time, approximately three million Dr. Seuss books had already been sold.{{Sfn|Jones|2020|p=299}}

== Analysis and themes ==
Dr. Seuss believed that children's books had more power to do good or evil for society than any other medium, and ''Green Eggs and Ham'' was the first of Seuss's Beginner Books to carry a lesson for children.{{Sfn|Pease|2010|p=121}} 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".{{Sfn|Jones|2020|p=299}} 

''Green Eggs and Ham'' reverses the traditional structure of an adult trying to convince a child to try new foods.{{Sfn|Pease|2010|p=122}} 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.{{Sfn|Pease|2010|p=124}}{{Sfn|Morgan|Morgan|1996|p=171}} Both characters refuse to move from their decision throughout the book until the adult finally gives in at the end.{{Sfn|Pease|2010|pp=122–123}}

The narrative of ''Green Eggs and Ham'' is told in a question-and-answer structure.{{Sfn|Pease|2010|p=121}} Consistent use of the name ''Sam-I-am'' instead of simply ''Sam'' allowed Seuss to maintain meter when rhyming it with the eponymous ''green eggs and ham''. The title of ''Green Eggs and Ham'' is a play on the common phrase [[ham and eggs]], inverting it to draw the reader's attention.{{Sfn|Fensch|2000|p=139}}

Literature professor [[Donald E. Pease]] described Sam-I-am as "a young [[How the Grinch Stole Christmas!|Grinch]]-like creature".{{Sfn|Pease|2010|p=122}} One academic, Tim Wolf, argued that Sam-I-am has no distinguishing gender or sex and could be read as male or female.{{Sfn|Nel|2004|p=112}}

It has been reported that the book was banned in [[China]] from 1965 to 1991 because it supposedly contained themes of "early Marxism"— that is to say, [[Ideology of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union|Soviet-style socialism]] (which was [[Sino-Soviet split|at odds]] with [[Ideology of the Chinese Communist Party|Chinese 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.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Ntalianis |first1=Mary |last2=Ho |first2=Taliza |title=Banned Books |url=https://umsu.unimelb.edu.au/news/article/7797/2016-05-24-banned-books/ |access-date=2024-03-27 |website=umsu.unimelb.edu.au |language=en-AU}}</ref>

== Reception ==
[[File:USMC-120302-M-PG598-001.jpg|thumb|Woman reading and showing ''Green Eggs and Ham'' to children.]]''Green Eggs and Ham'' was widely praised upon its release, and reviewers overwhelmingly celebrated that the book was written using only 50 distinct words.{{Sfn|Jones|2020|p=299}} Emily Maxwell of ''[[The New Yorker]]'' commented on Seuss's use of the vocabulary, saying that "reading him, one is hardly aware that there ''are'' more than fifty words".{{Sfn|Fensch|2000|p=140}} It was praised for its rhythm and illustrations{{Sfn|Pease|2010|p=122}} as well as its use of rhymes.{{Sfn|Fensch|2000|p=140}} The humorous nature of the book was also received positively.{{Sfn|Pease|2010|p=122}}{{Sfn|Fensch|2000|p=140}}

''[[The Saturday Review of Literature]]'' praised the book's pacing, paying attention specifically to the opening pages in which Sam-I-am introduces himself with a placard.{{Sfn|Fensch|2000|p=140}} Professor of children's literature [[Philip Nel]] similarly lauded the introduction for introducing the conflict of the book visually through Sam-I-am's active movement and the unnamed character's avoidance.{{Sfn|Nel|2004|p=65}}

In 1999, the [[National Education Association]] 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]]''.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Kids' Top 100 Books |url=http://www.nea.org/grants/13110.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130123232252/http://www.nea.org/grants/13110.htm |archive-date=January 23, 2013 |access-date=November 26, 2006 |website=National Education Association}}</ref> The teachers ranked it fourth.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Teachers' Top 100 Books for Children |url=http://www.nea.org/grants/teachers-top-100-books-for-children.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151028021253/http://www.nea.org/grants/teachers-top-100-books-for-children.html |archive-date=October 28, 2015 |website=National Education Association}}</ref> Teachers ranked it fourth again in a 2007 National Education Association poll.<ref name="NEA2007">{{cite web |year=2007 |title=Teachers' Top 100 Books for Children |url=http://www.nea.org/grants/13154.htm/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100207180317/http://www.nea.org/grants/13154.htm/ |archive-date=February 7, 2010 |access-date=August 19, 2012 |website=National Education Association}}</ref> ''[[Scholastic Parent & Child]]'' magazine placed it #7 among the "100 Greatest Books for Kids" in 2012.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.scholastic.com/100books/pdf/Top_100_Childrens_Books_of_All_Time.pdf |title=Parent & Child 100 Greatest Books for Kids |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |year=2012 |publisher=[[Scholastic Corporation]] |access-date=March 25, 2013}}</ref> 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.<ref name="SLJPicture2012">{{cite web |url=http://blog.schoollibraryjournal.com/afuse8production/2012/07/06/top-100-picture-books-poll-results |title=Top 100 Picture Books Poll Results |author=Bird, Elizabeth |publisher=A Fuse #8 Production. Blog. [[School Library Journal]] (blog.schoollibraryjournal.com) |date=July 6, 2012 |access-date=August 19, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121204030956/http://blog.schoollibraryjournal.com/afuse8production/2012/07/06/top-100-picture-books-poll-results |archive-date=December 4, 2012 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

== Impact and legacy ==
[[File:The Green Eggs and Ham Cafe - panoramio.jpg|thumb|The Green Eggs and Ham Cafe in the [[Seuss Landing]] theme park]]
In 1967, ''Green Eggs and Ham'' ranked as the best-selling children's book.{{Sfn|Pease|2010|p=128}} 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.{{Sfn|Cohen|2004|p=342}}

At Dr. Seuss's ''alma 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.{{Sfn|Jones|2020|p=299}} When Dr. Seuss received an honorary doctorate from [[Princeton University]] in 1985, the graduating class rose and recited ''Green Eggs and Ham'' in its entirety for him.{{Sfn|Fensch|2000|p=171}}{{Sfn|Morgan|Morgan|1996|p=261}} Dr. Seuss reportedly spent the rest of his life enduring gifts of green eggs and ham, which he described as "deplorable stuff".{{Sfn|Jones|2020|p=299}} Later in life, he said that ''Green Eggs and Ham'' was the only book of his that still made him laugh.{{Sfn|Fensch|2000|p=139}}

The Green Eggs and Ham Cafe opened in the Seuss Landing island at the [[Universal Islands of Adventure]] theme 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.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Spence |first=Shay |date=December 17, 2019 |title=Universal Orlando Reopened Its Green Eggs and Ham Cafe — And They're Serving Who Hash |url=https://people.com/food/universal-orlando-green-eggs-and-ham-cafe-open/ |access-date=2024-03-26 |website=People}}</ref>

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.<ref>{{cite web |date=September 23, 2007 |title=Judge makes 'Green Eggs and Ham' ruling |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna20925030 |access-date=August 3, 2024 |publisher=[[NBC News]] |agency=Associated Press}}</ref> Senator [[Ted Cruz]] read the book on the floor of the [[United States Senate]] during his [[filibuster]] over the funding of the [[Affordable Care Act]].<ref>{{cite web |last=Fitzpatrick |first=Meagan |date=September 25, 2013 |title=Why Ted Cruz read Green Eggs and Ham in the U.S. Senate |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/why-ted-cruz-read-green-eggs-and-ham-in-the-u-s-senate-1.1867499 |access-date=March 3, 2019 |website=[[CBC News]]}}</ref> Musician [[will.i.am]] has stated that his moniker is inspired by the story.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/23/magazine/23FOB-Q4-t.html |title=Questions for Will.i.am |first=Deborah |last=Solomon |date=January 20, 2011 |newspaper=New York Times |via=NYTimes.com}}</ref>

Many parodies of ''Green Eggs and Ham'' have been created, including a rap song by [[Moxy Früvous]] and a sketch on ''[[Saturday Night Live]]'' featuring the minister [[Jesse Jackson]] reading the book during a sermon.{{Sfn|Fensch|2000|p=141}}

{{anchor|Dr. Seuss: Green Eggs and Ham (video game)}}''Green Eggs and Ham'' has been adapted into stage and television versions.<ref name="CBC" /> In 1973, it was adapted as an animated television special alongside ''[[The Sneetches]]'' and ''[[The Zax]]''. Originally titled ''[[Dr. Seuss on the Loose]]'', the special was later renamed ''Green Eggs and Ham and Other Stories''.{{Sfn|Cohen|2004|p=356}} The book was adapted as a video game for the [[Game Boy Advance]], ''Dr. Seuss' Green Eggs and Ham,'' published by [[NewKidCo]] and released on November 17, 2003.<ref>{{metacritic video game|title=Dr. Seuss: Green Eggs and Ham|qid=Q16840980}}</ref> A television adaptation was released by [[Netflix]] in 2019, also titled ''[[Green Eggs and Ham (TV series)|Green Eggs and Ham]]''. It stars [[Adam DeVine]] as Sam-I-Am, a wildlife protector, and [[Michael Douglas]] as the unnamed character, 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.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Mangan |first=Lucy |date=2019-11-08 |title=Green Eggs and Ham review – I'm a huge fan, I am I am! |url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2019/nov/08/green-eggs-and-ham-review-michael-douglas-diane-keaton-eddie-izzard |access-date=2024-03-27 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref> A graphic novel ''Green Eggs and Ham Take a Hike'', released on January 7, 2025, is written and illustrated by [[James Kochalka]].<ref>https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/724670/dr-seuss-graphic-novel-green-eggs-and-ham-take-a-hike-by-james-kochalka/ {{Bare URL inline|date=August 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://comicbook.com/comics/news/the-grinch-dr-seuss-graphic-novel-the-grinch-takes-a-vacation/#2 | title=The Grinch: Dr. Seuss Graphic Novel Tells a New Grinch Story | date=August 21, 2024 }}</ref> In the graphic novel, the unnamed character's name is Walter.

== Notes ==
{{Reflist}}

== References ==
* {{Cite book |last=Cohen |first=Charles |url=https://archive.org/details/seusswholeseussn0000cohe/page/359/ |title=The Seuss, the Whole Seuss and Nothing But the Seuss: A Visual Biography of Theodor Seuss Geisel |publisher=Random House Children's Books |year=2004 |isbn=978-0-375-82248-3}}
* {{Cite book |last=Fensch |first=Thomas |url=https://archive.org/details/manwhowasdrseuss0000fens/ |title=The Man Who Was Dr. Seuss: The Life and Work of Theodor Geisel |year=2000 |publisher=New Century Books |isbn=978-0-7388-3484-9}}
* {{Cite book |last=Jones |first=Brian Jay |author-link=Brian Jay Jones |url=https://archive.org/details/becomingdrseusst0000jone/page/416/ |title=Becoming Dr. Seuss: Theodor Geisel and the Making of an American Imagination |publisher=Penguin Publishing Group |year=2020 |isbn=978-1-5247-4279-9}}
* {{Cite book |last1=Morgan |first1=Judith |url=https://archive.org/details/drseussmrgeisel00morg/ |title=Dr. Seuss and Mr. Geisel: A Biography |last2=Morgan |first2=Neil |publisher=Da Capo Press |year=1996 |isbn=978-0-306-80736-7}}
* {{Cite book |last=Nel |first=Philip |author-link=Philip Nel |title=Dr. Seuss: American Icon |publisher=[[Continuum International Publishing Group|Continuum Publishing]] |year=2004 |isbn=0-8264-1434-6}}
* {{Cite book |last=Pease |first=Donald E. |author-link=Donald E. Pease |title=Theodor Seuss Geisel |year=2010 |url=https://archive.org/details/theodorseussgeis0000peas/ |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-532302-3}}

== External links ==
{{Wikiquote}}
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4xbgmrvVGHE Green Eggs and Ham (Dr. Seuss Beginner Book Video)] on [[YouTube]]
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ime0e8Cvo-Q "Green Eggs and Ham" Read by Christina Milian] on YouTube
* {{Cite AV media | url = http://www.uctv.tv/shows/How-Dr-Seuss-Created-Green-Eggs-Ham-29157 | title = How Dr. Seuss Created Green Eggs and Ham | last = Claasen | first = Lynda | date = January 16, 2015 | language = en | type = Video}}

{{Dr. Seuss}}
{{Grammy Award for Best Children's Album}}
[[Category:Books by Dr. Seuss]]
[[Category:Constrained writing]]
[[Category:1960 children's books]]
[[Category:Eggs in culture]]
[[Category:American picture books]]
[[Category:Random House books]]
[[Category:Books about food and drink]]
[[Category:Book censorship in China]]