‘Cat in the Hat’ Visits Local School, Mayor Reads from Dr. Seuss

Pre-K through second-graders at were treated to a visit by three special guests Thursday morning: Fort Lee Mayor Mark Sokolich, Councilman Harvey Sohmer and “The Cat in the Hat.”

School 1 teacher Luddy Green was responsible for arranging the Dr. Seuss character’s visit through the NJEA, as she did last year, said principal Kristine Cecere.

But before the roughly nine-foot-tall Cat in the Hat helped Green lead the kids—decked out for the occasion in paper hats of the type the famous feline is known for—in “The Readers Oath,” Sokolich and Sohmer spoke with the students about what it’s like to work in local government, and Sokolich read to the children from his “favorite” Dr. Seuss book, “There’s No Place Like Space,” which teaches young readers about the planets and the solar system.

“You know what’s great about Dr. Seuss?” Sokolich asked the kids. “First of all, he’s fantastic because he’s fun to read. And believe it or not, while you’re having fun, you’re learning.”

Before reading to the students, Sokolich and Sohmer held an impromptu Q&A session. There were a lot of questions about the mayor’s dog, which prompted Sokolich to ask if the kids would like to see a dog park in Fort Lee. The answer was a resounding “yes!” The mayor also talked about managing the town’s budget, other responsibilities of the Mayor and Council and the borough’s new fire truck.

Other questions included:

• Do you work in a Democracy? (Answer: Yes)
• Have you ever had to fire anybody? (Answer: Yes)
• Favorite food? (Answer: Pizza; Sohmer’s answer: Spaghetti)
• Favorite color? (Answer: Dark Green; Sohmer’s answer: Blue)
• Favorite baseball team? (Answer: The New York Yankees)
• How old is Councilman Sohmer? (Answer: “I’ve been in Fort Lee for a long, long time.”)

Sokolich also distributed his customary “mayor’s pencils” and signed “deputy mayor” cards, complete with an oath in part “to be an honest and responsible citizen” and “to be kind to everyone.”

“Reading, right from the beginning, is one of the most important things you can possibly do; you have to be good at reading,” Sokolich said. “Everything that you do in life is all about reading. If you work, you’re reading. If you read the newspaper, you know what’s going on in the world. Every day I walk into the mayor’s office, and there’s reading ‘this high,’ and I enjoy it because I’m good at it.”

He added, “If I wasn’t a good reader, I couldn’t be a good mayor.”

After reading from the Dr. Seuss book, the Cat in the Hat himself made his grand entrance, much to the delight of the young audience, who serenaded him with the song, “Dr. Seuss, We Love You.”

The Cat in the Hat waved, shook hands and joined Green at the front of the school’s all-purpose room to lead the students in reciting “The Readers Oath,” which goes like this:

I promise to read

Each day and each night

I know it’s the key

To growing up right

I’ll read to myself

I’ll read to a crowd

It makes no difference

If silent or loud.

I’ll read at my desk

At home and at school

On my bean bag or bed

By the fire or pool.

Each book that I read

Puts smarts in my head

Cause brains grow more thoughts

The more they are fed.

So I take this oath

To make reading my way

Of feeding my brain

What it needs every day.