One of the most beloved books that has ever been penned by Dr. Seuss is Green Eggs and Ham. Published in 1960 it remains the fourth best selling children's book of all time.

The story revolves around two characters, Sam-I-Am and the unhappy focus of Sam's attention, unnamed and kind of cranky. What is it that Sam is trying to get the character to do? Why, try green eggs and ham, of course!

Like many mothers, frustrated with children's penchant for refusing new foods, Sam tried every way possible to get the attention of his victim...I mean friend. He offers the delicacy on a train, and with a goat, in a house, and many other variations of company and place. Each time the offer is made it is grumpily turned down, and yet Sam does not give up.

There are only 50 words total in this story, and many are rhyming. The suggested reading level for this book is grades one through three, although many adults enjoy the memories this story holds for them.

Green Eggs and Ham is a great book to use in the classroom for cross-curriculum learning. The major themes of this book are:

• Trying new things
• Peer pressure
• Tenacity
• Respect of others' opinions
• Diversity
• Friendship
• Patience

You can use Green Eggs and Ham for the following subjects:

• Cooking
• Senses-Taste
• English in higher grades; this is a good example of a cumulative story.

• Spelling
• Narration for early elementary
• Math (addition)
• How Do You Know You Don't Like It? Lesson for Middle School

• Reading Unit

There are many free printables and activities for Green Eggs and Ham available on the internet. Some of the best websites are:

• Words to Green Eggs and Ham

• Seussville:This is the the site of sites when it comes to Dr. Seuss. Green Eggs and Ham online game and Green Eggs and Ham picture scramble are among the games that are sure to entertain your children.
• Make a placemat
• Phonics, the "am" sound
• Maze

The following are PDF files for you to open and print.

• Make a framed picture of yourself

• Green Eggs and Ham Tic Tac Toe

Other ideas:

• Green Eggs and Ham Baby Shower

• Green Eggs and Ham Birthday Party

There is a rumor that Green Eggs and Ham was written on a bet from Bennet Cerf, Seuss's editor. Apparently after he had written Cat in the Hat Cerf challenged Seuss to write a book that consisted of a vocabulary of 50 words. Green Eggs and Ham was born.

Theodor Seuss Geisel was born in 1904 in Springfield, Mass. to German immigrant parents. He and his sister were often lulled to sleep by the sound of his mother singing rhymes to them. These rhymes later became the inspiration for Suess' unique writing style for children.

He attended both Dartmouth College, and Oxford. His studies bored him and he soon began a tour of Europe, returning to the United States to try his hand at cartooning, and finally advertising.

Seuss learned animation during World War II when he produced Army training films with Frank Capra. He developed a series of training films with a character he had created:Private Snafu.

His first children's book, And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street, was submitted over 25 times before it was accepted and published. Apparently Sam-I-Am was not the only tenacious character in Seuss-land!

Dr. Seuss changed the face, and sound, of children's literature forever. If you want to read more about Suess and his war efforts you need to check out,

So What Did You Do in the War, Dr. Suess.