This Book Is Cute: The Soft and Squishy Science and Culture of Aww

Flynn, Sarah Wassner. This Book Is Cute: The Soft and Squishy Science and Culture of Aww
March 19th 2019 by National Geographic Society
Copy provided by the publisher

Thanks to this book, I know that scented, Hello Kitty print toilet paper exists! This charmingly photographed book (so much cuteness in full color!) has a lot of solid science behind it, presented in a very logical way. It starts with why babies are so cute (although I would beg to differ!) and describes why this is essential to baby's survival. There are also chapters about animals and cuteness in other parts of the world. Japan's Kawaii culture is given a lot of attention, including information about Hello Kitty! The chapter on cute food was so interesting, and helped me understand why Teddy Grahams taste way better than regular old rectangular graham crackers! I feel almost compelled to invest in a Bento box! This, of course, feeds right into the chapter on the business aspect of cute, including how cute goes viral.

For additional information, there is a section on cute jobs, as well as how to photograph and draw cute! There is a great index (which I always like to see) as well as complete credits, so readers know that yes, you must state where you got your pictures! I would have liked to see a bibliography so that interested readers could investigate this topic more, but I imagine the books the author consulted are fairly academic.

If you need a book that will keep a young reader's interest on a long car ride, this is a fantastic choice. This would spark lots of conversation, and would also be helpful when those readers are asleep and their adults need something to read!

If you have an Instagram account, you MUST follow @purrfosters! They named a little of puppies after Ellen Miles' Puppy Place books! This is about the cutest thing I have even seen!