Weekly Low Down on Kids Books – Green Eggs and Ham

The problem with toddlers, and kids in general, is the second you pin down what they like and don’t like they immediately turn into liars.  Coincidentally, my kid did this with the infamous Dr. Seuss title Green Eggs and Ham.

As you probably well know, Green Eggs and Ham is about a guy discrediting something entirely without ever trying it.  He insists through the whole book that he doesn’t like Green Eggs and Ham, he won’t like them here or there or anywhere, he’ll never try them because he knows he’ll never like them.  Of course, as the twist of fate will have it, to get Sam-I-Am to leave him alone about the matter, he agrees to try them and discovers that low and behold they are GREAT!

That’s kind of how kiddo has been the last week or so about the book.  I picked it up thinking, here’s a classic my kid needs, and read it to her (and some other kids) for the first time during Story Time at Half Price Books Humble.  In a retail environment you don’t really have the freedom to take full advantage of all the exclamation points, so I bought it and read it to her at home.

Halfway through our first reading at home she said, “No, no mommy, no green eggs and ham. No, no.”  She put her hand over the book, shook her  head at me, and instantly replaced it with another title.  The title she wanted instead was a Max Lucado picture book from the library called One Hand Two Hands, illustrated by Gaby Hansen.  It’s a beautiful book with a positive and informative message about the use of your hands.  I even plan to purchase one if I ever come across it in a store.  But I really wanted to understand why my kid wasn’t feeling Green Eggs and Ham.

A few days later, it hit me, but not until after second breakfast.  At second breakfast, I started reading Green Eggs and Ham, which she insisted I put down.  So, I went to pick out a different title and  when I did this she protested!

“No, mommy, I like Green Eggs and Ham.”

“Oh, really?”

“Yes, now I like Green Eggs and Ham. Read.”

Like the star of Dr. Seuss’ little book, Kiddo had to warm up to the idea of Green Eggs and Ham.  For whatever reason, when first introduced she was certain she would not like the book.  Maybe it seemed to long.  Maybe it was too repetitive.  Maybe too loud.  Who knows, maybe Sam-I-Am just annoyed her with all his persistence.  But at the end of second breakfast, after trying to re-read it for over a week, my kiddo decided – finally – that maybe she liked Green Eggs and Ham after all.