Although it seems “Green and Eggs and Ham” has been around my entire life, in actuality it was not published until I was two. It was published in 1960.

In 1957 Random House published “The Cat and the Hat” by Dr. Seuss; in it he used 225 different words. His publisher bet him he could not write a book with fewer. He penned “Green Eggs and Ham” three years later with all of 50 words.

Fifty-seven years after being published, it is six-year-old Breezy’s favorite book. I bought it for her at the grocery store the other day. “I know you have it at your house, but would you like to have a copy at my house?” I asked. “Well, I would like to read it to you,” she replied.” So we put the book in the cart.

“We ate ‘green eggs and ham’ at school last fall,” she told me. “You did? Did you like it?” I asked. “I thought the green eggs were yummy, but I didn’t care for the ham,” she explained.

When we got home Papa and I sat down on the couches and Breezy stood to read from “Green Eggs and Ham.”

“I am Sam. Sam I am. That Sam-I-am! That Sam-I-am! I do not like that Sam-I am!”

She did a great job reading and her Papa told her so. She explained to him, “Well, when you read five books for a book report, you get better!”

That just cracked me up. I don’t remember writing book reports in first grade! Maybe we did. I am proud that she’s a good reader and that she loves to read.

The other night she Facetimed me just to tell she is reading big words! I am glad she knows that she has an educator Gigi who is interested in such things.

Kudos to Theodor Seuss Geisel (1904-1991) for teaching generation after generation to read….. the Boomers, the Xers, the Millenniels, and now these new little ones whose generation has not yet been labeled.  Breezy thinks he’s the best, and I’m certain she’s never even heard of him!

dmzh