But for first-graders Audrey and Laila getting to hear the special guest read Dr. Seuss' "The Cat in the Hat" was even more special.
Their father, Mike just returned to the United States last week from a 10-month deployment for the U.S. Navy where he spent seven months in Afghanistan.
Their mother, Andi , had driven to meet him in Mississippi this week and left the girls with their grandmother.
The 7-year-old twin sisters' one wish was to see their parents dress up as Thing 1 and Thing 2 - two mischievous characters from the book - like they did last year.
But their mom and dad wouldn't be home until Monday.
Or so they thought.
On Friday, Audrey, who had been sick the night before and was brought to school for story time, took a seat next to Laila on the floor of the school's media center.
Donning the iconic red-and-white-striped hats, the sisters sat in the front row with their classmates.
"I did a jig in my head," said Audrey of the moment she realized it was her dad, who she had not seen in almost a year.
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Reuniting with their soldier father is nothing new to Laila and Audrey, who have watched him come and go for months at a time four times in five years.
"This time I'm going to stay home and get to watch them grow up," he said. "It's definitely time for that."