Green Eggs and Ham-Read & Learn – Dr. Seuss by Oceanhouse Media includes interactive learning pages to this classic tale of refusal. This is a relevant topic to all preschoolers as they are beginning to learn and discover their own sense of things they like and dislike. On opening, all settings are conveniently accessed through a little book icon on the top. Choices include: Read to Me, Read to Myself, or Auto Play. The text is highlighted as well as the ability to tap and hear individual words spoken. This is so important to help a beginning reader get through a page independently by exploring words at their own pace. It is that self-driven motor act that helps seal in the information for future use, because of the synchronization of sight, sound, and movement (directly tapping calls in the motor system to help facilitate retrieval of the information through multiple pathways). The interactive worksheets are held within the pages of the book and directly relate to content. By interacting with the features on a page, stars are found. This opens an opportunity for a quick teaching moment. Within each hidden star activity page there are:
- Delightful animations; i.e. having the characters flip places or other unexpected events through actively engaging the I Pad with a tap, drag or tilt of the device. This helps children broaden perspectives of what’s possible.
- Practice phonics, rhymes, and explore new vocabulary by tapping on words and pictures which facilitate a foundation of the written and spoken word
- Reading comprehension pages that promote understanding of the book.
The best part from Oceanhouse Media is the ability to choose if you want music and sound effects, have words appear on the page describing pictures, or whether to have the interactive pages displayed during the story. This is truly a gift for special needs teachers and moms to limit the sensory input for kids or to gradually introduce material for those kids who want to click on everything all at once – and not listen to the story. By grading the demands gradually for some kids, it allows them to build on emerging skills. The rhythmic repetition of phrases not only helps kids learn to recognize words, it is just ripe for shouting out in unison, complete with stomping, clapping of the hands, and absolute fits of laughter. 
There is also a parent’s section that tracks minutes spent reading, pages read, and the ability to see if all the starred pages have been found.It is aligned to common core standards for ELA for Kindergarteners, but the reach of the book is timeless across the generations. Reading the book to kids for the first time is always thrilling. This is one of my favorite books for picky eaters. Kids can readily identify with Sam’s Friend, and inherently seem to know to be suspicious of any green foods. In therapy, kids love to play Sam’s Friend. It’s one of the earliest looks kids get at the thought of possibly examining their own behaviors, and in only a way that Dr. Seuss can – without blame or shame. And I have found this book to be transformative in getting kids to try new foods. With Bluebee reading the story and giving prompts for the interactive features, all kids have a buddy who understands them and their infinite variety of moods and preferences. He/She is always there to support you, and make learning fun!
Jo Booth OTR/L has been an Occupational Therapist for over 35 years, and currently practices at EasterSeals of SEPA, Montgomery County Division mainly focusing on Early Intervention. It is an APS (Approved Private School) and home outreach based setting. She has also worked in Adolescent and Adult Rehabilitation. Writing reviews have been a tremendous opportunity and experience to share and learn with others.