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==Adaptations==
==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.)
*''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 character also appeared in [[Fox in Socks]] with a few changes to him. For example: He doesn't wear a hat.
*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 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 and there were similar differences to reflect the new media such as Sam-I-Am sings his opening lines.
*The book was also made into a [[Living Books]] adaptation for the PC and there were similar differences to reflect the new media such as Sam-I-Am sings his opening lines.

Revision as of 14:39, 13 July 2018

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
AuthorDr. Seuss
Cover artistDr. Seuss
LanguageEnglish
GenreChildren's literature
PublisherRandom House
The Living Books Company
Publication date
August 12, 1960
Publication placeUnited States
ISBN978-0-394-80016-5
OCLC184476
Preceded byOne Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish 
Followed byThe 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.[1] 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.[2]

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 words[3] and was the result of a bet between Seuss and Bennett Cerf, Dr. Seuss's publisher.[3][4][5] that Seuss (after completing The Cat in the Hat using 236 words)[6] 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.[3]

Reception and cultural impact

Green Eggs and Ham was published on August 12, 1960.[7][8] By 2001, it had become the fourth-best selling English-language children's hardcover book of all time.[9][10] 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.[11] The teachers ranked it fourth.[12] Teachers ranked it fourth again in a 2007 NEA poll.[13] Scholastic Parent & Child magazine placed it #7 among the "100 Greatest Books for Kids" in 2012.[14] 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.[15]

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.[16][17] Senator Ted Cruz read the book on the floor of the United States Senate during his filibuster over the funding over Obamacare.[18] Musician will.i.am has stated that his moniker is inspired by the story.[19]

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.[20]

Adaptations

Temporary ban

Main article: Book censorship in China

In 1965, a withdrawn source claimed that the book was banned in China for its "portrayal of early Marxism".[22] The ban was lifted in 1991, following Seuss' death.[23]

Selected translations

References

  1. ^ http://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/arts/literature/20-best-selling-childrens-books9.htm
  2. ^ "Dr. Seuss on the Loose". IMDB. Retrieved December 2, 2013.
  3. ^ a b c "10 stories behind Dr. Seuss stories". CNN. January 23, 2009. Retrieved 2009-01-26.
  4. ^ "Green Eggs and Ham". snopes.com. 2012. Retrieved May 4, 2012.
  5. ^ "99 Interesting Facts about the world #18". All That is Interesting. Retrieved 22 January 2015.
  6. ^ [1]
  7. ^ A 50 -year feast in 50 words Archived 2010-08-15 at the Wayback Machine, Marketplace. Retrieved 12 August 2010.
  8. ^ "Happy Birthday Sam-I-Am! 50 Years of Green Eggs and Ham". Gnews. 2012. Archived from the original on March 4, 2012. Retrieved May 4, 2012. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  9. ^ "All-Time Bestselling Children's Books". Publishers Weekly. 17 December 2001. Archived from the original on December 25, 2005.
  10. ^ Menand, Louis. "A Critic at Large: Cat People: What Dr. Seuss Really Taught Us". The New Yorker. 23 December 2002.
  11. ^ Kids' top 100 books Archived 2013-02-01 at the Wayback Machine NEA: National Education Association. Retrieved 26 November 2006.
  12. ^ "Teachers' Top 100 Books". NEA: National Education Association. Retrieved 26 November 2006.
  13. ^ National Education Association (2007). "Teachers' Top 100 Books for Children". Retrieved August 19, 2012.
  14. ^ "Parent & Child 100 Greatest Books for Kids" (PDF). Scholastic Corporation. 2012. Retrieved March 25, 2013.
  15. ^ 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. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  16. ^ "Judge makes 'Green Eggs and Ham' ruling". MSNBC.
  17. ^ "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
  18. ^ http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/why-ted-cruz-read-green-eggs-and-ham-in-the-u-s-senate-1.1867499
  19. ^ https://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/23/magazine/23FOB-Q4-t.html?_r=0
  20. ^ [2] ABC News 2010
  21. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (April 29, 2015). "Netflix Picks Up 'Green Eggs and Ham' Animated Series From Ellen DeGeneres". Deadline. Retrieved April 30, 2015.
  22. ^ http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2012/01/20/surprisingly-banned-books_n_1218905.html
  23. ^ "Banned Books Week: Green Eggs and Ham". New York Public Library. Retrieved December 2, 2013.
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