Once in a while, a new picture book come along that we want for our early readers right away. And sometimes one comes along that we kind of want for ourselves too. And for all the toddlers in our lives. And for our cool tweens too. Well, that’s what’s so wonderful about the brand new The Cutest Thing Ever, from the ever-hilarious Amy Ignatow and one of my favorite children’s book illustrators, Hsinping Pan.
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Related: True Colors is a gorgeous picture book inspired by the song, and we’re crying from page 1.
Amy (who is also a friend, lucky me), is best known for her middle-grade series The Mighty Odds, The Popularity Papers, and most recently, the Star Wars graphic novels including Jedi Academy: Revenge of the Sis. And those of you already familiar with her offbeat, accessible humor can see just how easily it lends itself to a book for the youngest kids among us.
In The Cutest Thing Ever, the story is narrated by a (cute) lavender bat, who invites you to see THE CUTEST THING EVER, then proceeds to trot out all kinds of delightful eye candy, from a cute monster to a kitten to a cute monster…with two kittens. (Indeed very cute.) The humor keeps building — A parade of koala bears! Bunny astronauts! — until the big reveal on the final page.
Let’s just say it involves an actual mirror.
Cuteness overload!
I love interactive stories at bedtime to help get early readers excited to turn the pages, from Eric Carle books books to newer books by BJ Novak. But this is one thatI can even see women buying for a BFF who can use a pick-me-up.
Not that being cute is the most important thing in life. But C’mon…bunny astronauts!
The Cutest Thing Ever, by Amy Ignatow and Hsinping Pan. is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Bookshop.org, which can support your local indie bookseller.
Fun fact: Hsinping’s own Etsy shop was an Editor’s Pick of the Year way back in 2010!
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