Common Sense Note
The rhetorical tug-of-war between the super-insistent Sam-I-am and his grumpy victim captivates readers. The whimsical art and eggs with green egg yolks keeps readers turning pages.
Common Sense Review
Reviewed By: Robyn Raymer
Just ask a two-year-old: it's invigorating to say the word "No!" thirty or forty times in succession (or variations such as "I won't eat it, I don't like it"). This primer contains only fifty monosyllabic words; some of the words work harder than others: "I" appears eighty-one times and "not" appears eighty-two times.
In this oddball story, one main character's monomaniacal goal is to make the other consume a green ham and two fried eggs with glowing, green yolks. The cartoonist brought Sam-I-am's disgusted opponent to life with many funny poses signifying refusal. In one, the snooty grump has one hand on hip, the other palm held up flat in a "Thanks, but no thanks!" gesture. Another is an eyes-closed, head-thrown-back howl of protest. Another features infuriated finger shaking: "You let me be!" (Once he's won over, the character becomes a lot less interesting.)
One five-year-old was able to use her rudimentary phonics skills, memory, and a flair for saying "No!" to read the entire book with perfect expression. She also pointed out that the book should be retitled "Green Yolks and Green Ham," and understood its moral: "You should try new things."
Other food-related books include Bread and Jam for Frances and Banana Moon.
Plot Summary:
Dr. Seuss created this book by transposing ham and eggs, coloring them green, and using the word "not" eighty-two times. The unquenchable Sam-I-am drags poor Mr. Negativity over hill, dale, and precarious aerial train track (with a cheerful mouse, fox, and goat in tow) until the hapless green-eggs-and-ham-hater consents to try the despised green breakfast.
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ViolenceOf a benign, cartoonish sort: A car drives up a tree and onto a train, the train crashes onto a boat, and everyone ends up in the water. |
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