Holly Seabury/Collegian

To help celebrate “Grab Your Hat and Read with the Cat” Day, in homage to children’s author Dr. Seuss’s March 2 birthday, three very tall University of Massachusetts athletes walked into an elementary school wearing big costume hats with their favorite Seuss books.

Once the athletes entered the building yesterday morning, students in the hallway at the Mosier Elementary School in South Hadley began to follow and wave to the star players, including Liam Coen, quarterback of the UMass football team, and senior forwards Gary Forbes and Etienne Brower of the men’s basketball team.

After the warm welcome, the athletes sat down in Jennifer Yellin’s third-grade classroom and informally discussed the literature of the legendary Seuss, just minutes before the class returned from lunch and filed into their desk chairs. Some students dressed in UMass attire for the special occasion.

UMass Sports Information Director Jason Yellin introduced the athletes as the students smiled and anxiously waited for some of their favorite sports players to speak.

Brower was the first to read, selecting “One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish” to read to the class, followed by Forbes who read “Hop on Pop,” followed by Coen who chose “Yertle the Turtle.” The students, not affected at all by the press, which included two cameramen and several photographers, quietly listened and laughed out loud at appropriate spots in the books.

After the readings, the students were allowed to ask questions. Mostly curious about the athletes’ interest in Dr. Seuss, one student asked what their favorite books were and another asked if they were fans of the legendary author. The athletes talked about their favorite Seuss books and the first one they read as a child, which was “The Cat in the Hat” for all three.

The students then received basketball programs and Coen’s player card so that the athletes could autograph for their young fans. Some students also pulled out basketballs and footballs from a closet and began to play and warm up to their new guests.

“I was going to bring my own football!” exclaimed Ryan, a third-grader.

“I really liked the reading,” said Giana.

The event, as part of the National Education Association’s “Nation’s Largest Reading Celebration,” was a first for the athletes, though Jason Yellin hinted toward a future, perhaps similar, event for the UMass Athletic Department.

All three players said that they had never really read to a classroom of children before, but were happy to be part of the NEA’s event.

“We never really get the opportunity to do something like this, so this was great for us,” said Coen. “It’s really fun for us, especially because we’re with people so young, and everyone’s happy.”

Holly Seabury can be reached at [email protected].