March 3rd observes National Third Graders’ Day (makes sense it being 3/3 no matter where you are!), so I decided I needed to get started on reading the book – full of life lessons – I found in my school’s teacher lounge a couple of weeks ago. Other staff members leave books, puzzles, and other things they have but don’t (or no longer) need in the lounge for others to take, and this one immediately caught my eye.
The book I chose as today’s featured read is heartwarming and head‑nodding — not the “dozing-off” kind, but the kind that makes you smile and think, “Yes! I get what you’re saying.” It’s a read for everyone, whether you’re a teacher, a student, or just someone who loves a story that celebrates curiosity, kindness, and growing up.
And of course, I couldn’t resist adding a few quotes – little life lessons – from other picture books that remind us all how remarkable we are. These are my little reminders to celebrate being ourselves — each line a spark of confidence, joy, and wonder.
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Life Lessons and Quotes to Celebrate Us
32 Third Graders and One Class Bunny: Life Lessons from Teaching
32 Third Graders and One Class Bunny: Life Lessons from Teaching by Phillip Done
Phil Done fixes staplers that won’t staple, zippers that won’t staple, and pokes pins in the caps of glue bottles that will not pour. He has sung “Happy Birthday” 657 times. A witness to the joys of learning, Done inspires readers with the everyday adventures and milestones of his 32 third graders in this irresistible collection of bite-sized essays.
(1 & 2) Book Beginnings and First Line Friday
BOOK BEGINNINGS ON FRIDAY is hosted by Rose City Reader. What book are you happy about reading this week? Please share the opening sentence (or so) on BOOK BEGINNINGS ON FRIDAY! Add the link to your blog or social media post and visit other blogs to see what others are reading.
Happy Friday and welcome to the FIRST LINE FRIDAY, hosted by Reading is My Superpower! It’s time to grab the book nearest to you and leave a comment with the first line.
“I read Charlotte’s Web and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory every year, and every year when Charlie finds the golden ticker and Charlotte dies, I cry.”
3 Friday 56
THE FRIDAY 56 is hosted by by Anne at HeadFullofBooks. To play, open a book and turn to page 56 (or 56% on your e-reader). Find a sentence or two and post them, along with the book title and author. Then link up and visit others in the linky.
“We have a class bunny. Her full name is Penelope Precious Buttercup III. I did not name her. The kids voted.”
4 Book Blogger Hop
The purpose of THE BOOK BLOGGER HOP is to give bloggers a chance to follow other blogs, learn about new books, and befriend other bloggers. THE BOOK BLOGGER HOP is hosted by Ramblings of a Coffee Addicted Writer.
When you spot giveaways, do you enter just for fun—even if you’re unsure you’ll read the book—or only when you truly want the title?
Like last week’s answer, depends! While I most often enter a giveaway because I think I will love the book, sometimes I enter thinking I might, and at other times because I know or think someone else I know will enjoy it so I can give it to them if I win!
5 🌟 Celebrating You — A Journey in Quotes
- “You are small and you are big. You are big and you are small.”
— You Are (Not) Small by Anna Kang, illustrated by Christopher Weyant - “I’m the pearl in the oyster, the A to the Z / I’m the one, the only, incredible ME!”
— Incredible Me! by Kathi Appelt, illustrated by Brian Karas - “I like me different and the same.”
— I Like Myself! by Karen Beaumont, illustrated by David Catrow - “I am that smile forming on your face…”
— I Am Every Good Thing by Derrick Barnes, illustrated by Gordon C. James - “Be okay with being different.”
— Be You! by Peter H. Reynolds - “I can embrace that I am perfectly imperfect…”
— I Am Me: A Book of Authenticity by Susan Verde, illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds - “This is the first time there has ever been you, so I wonder what wonderful things you will do.”
— The Wonderful Things You Will Be by Emily Winfield Martin - “Your name is a pretty song.”
— Your Name Is a Song by Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow, illustrated by Luisa Uribe - “You have your own spirit, unparalleled flair.”
— Remarkably You by Pat Zietlow Miller, illustrated by Patrice Barton - “So rather than waiting… he did the imaginable.”
— The Adventures of Beekle: The Unimaginary Friend by Dan Santat - “They say matter is all things that make up the universe: energy, stars, space… If that’s the case, then you, dear child, matter.”
— All Because You Matter by Tami Charles, illustrated by Bryan Collier - “The small stuff too small to see, you matter.”
— You Matter by Christian Robinson - “We are all wonders.”
— We’re All Wonders by R.J. Palacio
And Now, the End of This Post
Dear reader, now it is your turn: which quote made you nod your head, smile, or think, “Yes, that’s me!”? Share your favorite in the comments, and then go one more step further: read one of these books aloud with/to others and watch the magic happen.
