On his 104th birthday they all brought some cakes. There were tall ones and small ones, all colors and makes. The purpose, of course, was to honor the man, the great Dr. Seuss and his Green Eggs and Ham.

Read Across America Day, the National Education Association's annual nod to the whimsical Dr. Seuss - aka Theodore Dreiser - and his contribution to childhood reading, is celebrated each year on his birthday, March 2.

This week, in elementary school classrooms across East County, enthusiastic readers donned their best hats, brought their favorite Seuss books and settled in for a day of Yertle and Horton and a few little Whos.

At Loma Vista Elementary in Brentwood, the day also involved some sweets, as students in the third-grade class of the Seuss-esquely named Heather Higginbotham brought in homemade cakes depicting their favorite

Seuss story.

Hayley Stroobant, 9, made a Cat in the Hat cake for the simple reason that "It's my favorite book," she said. Jake Keller, 9, had the same idea with his Green Eggs and Ham cake designed to look like two open pages of a book.

Over in Theresa McSweeney and Susan Graham's second grade classrooms, students were busy deciding which Seuss story was their favorite. Choices ran the gamut from the Lorax, to the Grinch and, of course, The Cat in the Hat.

For Emily Andrews, 7, picking just one Seuss story was impossible.

"I like them all," said Emily. "They're funny and they rhyme. That's the best thing."

The purpose of the day, which also highlighted guests taking a turn at reading their choice of Seuss classic, said Vice Principal Sara Williams, is encourage students to discover the simple joy of reading.

"I think the ultimate goal is to inspire our students to appreciate literature of all types and to bring out their creative side," said Williams. "It's a nice introduction to reading, and you can't go wrong with Seuss."