“Hop on Pop,” “Green Eggs and Ham,” “There’s a Map on My Lap” and “The Cat in the Hat” had their pages turned Wednesday.

To celebrate Dr. Seuss’ birthday, student volunteers from Concordia College-Selma read an array of the “rhyming author’s” classics to Edgewood Elementary pre-kindergarten through third grade students and staff for the annual “Read Across Alabama,” sponsored by the Alabama Education Association, Wednesday.

Enthusiastic students and teachers were dressed in Alabama and Auburn gear and the official “Cat In the Hat” hats for this year’s theme: “Be a Champion…Read,” to celebrate both teams’ recent BCS championship victories.

Adrienne Lee, Edgewood reading coach, said the program is just one that encourage reading.

“It gives students an opportunity to enjoy recreational reading that is so relaxing,” Lee said. “We have the Accelerated Reader program in September that gives incentives for reaching a reading goal and a Six Flags’ sponsored ‘Read to Succeed’ that gives students a free ticket to the park if they read up to six hours. We want our kids to develop a passion for reading.”

Used in more than 60,000 schools across the country, the Accelerated Reader program allows teachers to effectively monitor their students’ progress through a guided reading program.

When students reach 100 points in the program, Lee said students receive $100 that’s donated by a teacher, parent or the superintendent.

Joe Peterson Jr., principal of Edgewood, said the schools’ reading scores have improved.

“We try to make reading fun and interesting for the students to motivate them to read,” Peterson said. “This is just a fun day for reading. Students have fun being read to and volunteers have fun reading to the students.”