Green Eggs and Ham (I Can Read It All by Myself Beginner Books)

We all know this book, no need for me to re-iterate the plot.

What makes it work, though, is that Dr. Seuss understood the importance of breaking the rules - something many of his imitators never grasp. He didn't stick to a rhyme scheme or a meter all the time, he varied it and dropped it when needed. That makes his books readable instead of mind-numbing - even when you're reading them for the 1000th time straight :)

As a mom of a 24 and an 8 year old (I know . . . big surprise) I am firmly of the opinion that Dr. Seuss is the greatest American philosopher! In this book he urges us to try things that we may be afraid of or even repelled by. Many folks think this book applies only to food but I think he is urging us to be more brave in all avenues of life. We need to listen to those around us urging us expand our horizons. I believe that if we go for it and 'take a bite of the egg and ham' then we too will say "Thank you, thank you Sam-I-am."

I forgot how much I loved this book until I began reading it for my 3-year-old. She loves it, and I love reading it to her (unlike the ELMO books which our daughter loves and I dread). You really can't go wrong with Dr. Seuss. The illustrations are imaginative and the writing is really a work of genius in children's literature. I can't recommend this highly enough.

Being the cruel and heartless person that I am, it was been years since I have bothered to so much think about this book. But, it being the week of the celebration of Dr. Seuss I have been reading various Suessian books to them. I forgot what a fun tongue-twister of a tale this was! My kids were able to repeat entire sections of the book with me and the illustrations are entirely animated without moving. Awesome book.

This is such a fun book. Who doesn't love Dr. Suess's Green Eggs and Ham? Great rhmes, a lot of sight words and a lesson about trying things before you decide how you feel about them.