Carlos Murphy had a colorful hat to wear on his forehead Tuesday, a hat he had colored for a very special occasion.

Sitting beside him in class at Open Door School was the Cat In The Hat (played by WTCR radio personality J.C. Craiger) dressed in his trademark black, red and white outfit, his tall, red and white–striped hat angled a bit on his head.

The Open Door School Tuesday celebrated the 105th birthday of the late Dr. Seuss by reading his books and enjoying visits from local celebrities who took turns reading to the kids.

“The idea is to incorporate what Dr. Seuss had in mind, to combine fun and learning,” Lawrence County Developmental Disabilities spokesman Tim Nunnery explained.

Student Raven Webb thought the Cat In The Hat visit was lots of fun, but she was short in specifics. Asked what she liked best about the book “Green Eggs And Ham,” Raven replied, “I can’t tell you. It’s a secret.”

By bringing in the celebrity readers from local radio stations and other businesses, teacher Cathy Monnig said the Seuss event helped promote the school and its overall purpose: to help disabled children learn and be the best they can be.

“Its good for the kids to interact with the community and for everyone to come and find out what we’re all about,” Monnig said.

And it wasn’t just the visitors who got in on the act Tuesday. Teacher Kathy Conner dressed as a tree to read the story “The Lorax” to her students.

After all that reading, a student can get pretty hungry. The kids got green eggs and ham for lunch. After lunch, students were treated to a showing of the Seuss classic, “Horton Hears A Who,” complete with popcorn.

This was one of several events celebrating DD month in Lawrence County. Other events on schedule: the social studies fair at the Open Door School March 11, the annual DD Chilifest 11 a.m.- 3 p.m. March 20 at Dawson-Bryant High School and the annual March Madness basketball tournament 6-8:30 p.m. March 25.