50 unique words, that is.
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Theodor Seuss Geisel was challenged by his publisher, who bet that he couldn’t create a children’s story, let alone an engaging and popular one, using 50 words or fewer.
In 1960, Geisel rose to the challenge and penned a children’s classic that was not only immediately popular, but remains so more than fifty years later.
The fifty words to appear in Green Eggs and Ham 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.
Green Eggs and Ham is a favourite in our house. I don’t remember reading it when I was younger (my favourites were One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish and Fox in Socks), but when given the choice of which Dr Seuss book to read, Ashleigh invariably selects Green Eggs and Ham or If I Ran the Zoo.
Ashleigh can pretty much recite the book from memory now. And I’m sure I do in my sleep! Sam! Let me be!
Are you a fan of Green Eggs and Ham? Which (if any) Dr Seuss books appear on your bookshelf?
You do learn something new everyday – that I’m unobservant! I’m an English teacher and have read this story countless times and still didn’t know it had only 50 words. What a classic :). Thanks Em 🙂
I knew it was (ridiculously) repetitive – it’s nice to now know why!
Its such a fun read!
We have a whole stash of Dr Seuss books but I honestly don’t remember reading ANY when I was a child. I love Fox in Socks, it’s very clever. And I love the morals in Oh! The Places You’ll Go. My boys love Green Eggs and Ham, and how interesting that it only has 50 unique words! x
I received ‘Oh! The Places You’ll Go!’ as a farewell present when I left an internship nine years ago. I’d never read it before then, but the book’s message combined with the messages of those I’d worked with mean it has a very special place in my heart now!
Nick went through a Dr Seuss stage that saw us read a LOT of The Cat In The Hat, The Cat In The Hat Comes Back, Green Eggs and Ham and The Grinch Who Stole Christmas. They’re so easy to read. – Aroha #teamIBOT
Thanks for the factoid!! How are you feeling?
Tired, exhausted, swollen… pregnant! Not long to go, not long to go, I think I can, I think I can…
Thanks xx
I love this story!
The best thing about Dr Seuss, is that not only are they entertaining for really little kids, their actually great for beginning readers too. Because they are so simplistic and repetitive.
My daughter loves reading them because she can read a whole book on her own, and it’s a cool story as well 🙂
We love Dr Seuss in this house. My favourite is If I Ran The Circus.’No former performers performed this performance!’ Genius.
xx
Would that be the performance of enormous enormance?! Love that one too!
We have so many of his books. I use to read them to the girls all the time when they were younger. I should dig them out again. Rachel xx