Braeden Smith's favorite Dr. Seuss characters came to life Monday.

As if stepping straight from the pages of Cat in the Hat, a handful of teachers and pupils at Goshen Elementary School, where the 8-year-old attends, donned sky blue hair and bright red costumes to play the parts of Thing 1 and Thing 2.

BraÃden and his second-grade classmates also heard Richmond County school board Controller Gene Spires read Green Eggs and Ham to them. Their teacher Audra Bono read Yertle the Turtle, in which a turtle's burp overthrows the king turtle.

Silly words and rhymes could be heard in classrooms throughout the country on Monday as the nation's schoolchildren celebrated Read Across America and honored Dr. Seuss.

Goshen observed the annual National Education Association event to commemorate his birthday, which was Sunday. Children ate green eggs and ham, and guests read Dr. Seuss's books to them.

"This is what it's about to me -- getting kids to read, getting kids to learn," said Principal Lisa Schoer, who was wearing a Thing 1 costume.

Dr. Seuss books are the first ones children go to in the library, Mrs. Bono said. "They are timeless."

Within the books, there are language arts lessons and morals, she said.

At Goshen, pupils also met with their reading buddies. Older children are matched with a class in a lower grade.

The older students help the younger ones practice their reading, Dr. Schoer said.

The program is also beneficial for the upperclassmen, especially those with disabilities.

According to the National Education Association, 45 million people celebrated Read Across America Day.