Green Eggs and Ham (Poetry)

I chose the book Green Eggs and Ham; written and illustrated by Dr. Seuss.

This book is considered poetry because there is a lot of rhythm and rhymes in the story. Sam is trying to get his friend to try green eggs and ham, providing many different situations that may convince him to eat them. The friend continually declines the food and tells his friend to leave him alone. This book is good for teaching children to try new foods, especially if they are picky eaters. Green eggs and ham doesn’t look too appetizing, but you never know until you try it. It can also show children that they should try new things and take chances. I grew up with many, many Dr. Seuss books and this is definitely one of my favorites, and I’m still learning from it. Growing up I made decisions about dinner because of the strict medicine therapy I needed. This later caused me to become a picky eater because growing up, I always got the food I wanted. Now I’m slowly starting to let myself try things I never ate growing up, and finding I like a lot more than I originally thought.

I believe this book can teach children 2 social justice elements; self love and knowledge, and respect for others. Students must know themselves and be comfortable taking the chance of trying something new, and must understand that even though others like or dislike something, doesn’t mean they have to also. Similarly, students must respect others and their preferences for things. Just because one group of students likes grapes, doesn’t mean that the students who don’t are any different than them.