Twitter is awesome: It’s a direct line to everything exciting and interesting that’s happening on the Internet—a huge portion of which is totally adorable. (Do you follow us @WorkmanPub?) This week we’re highlighting some of our favorite cute friends who tweet. (Also cute: the Twitter bird!)

It’s only August, but copies of our 2013 calendars are already rolling in! (You might not be surprised to learn that we’re never really sure exactly what year it is around here.) As a preview of the coming year, we’re pleased to present you with this picture of the 2013 Pocket Pigs calendar, featuring some of the teacup pigs of @PennywellFarm themselves! We just want to put them in our pockets and let them wee, wee, wee all the way home!!

• Speaking of cute calendars, did you know there’s not one but two Cute Overload calendars?! Stock up, people, 2013 is only 5 months away… And follow @CuteOverload to stay up-to-date with the latest adorable animals on the web.
• One of our favorite Twitter Feeds ever is @PreschoolGems, where preschool teacher Leslie McCollom collects the brilliantly hilarious things her students says (“gems”) and tweets them out for all to enjoy. A recent tweet: “When I’m a Mommy, I’m going to have a girl, a girl, a boy, and name them Peanut, Yogurt and Santa.” Too cute to handle? Just wait until you see the book, released yesterday by Penguin. And be sure to read the author’s blog post about the story behind Preschool Gems. “First I wasn’t a mermaid, then my dream came true!” Indeed.
• In a similar vein, check out @TextsFromDidi! Sarah tweets actual texts from her 9-year-old sister who lives across the country. A choice example: “Mama got me a sugar free pie and this is the worst birthday ever.” Also: ”OMG!!!! i just got a 38 inch pinata!!!!” Kids text the darnedest things.

Look at this tiny gorilla getting a check-up!!! The stethoscope is sooooooo cooooold!!! (via Wild for Wildlife and Nature)

• Did you know that when you give a lemon to a dog, this happens?!

—Avery, who believes that small versions of big animals are the best

Olympics! Olympics Olympics Olympics!! Aaaaaahhhh London 2012!!!

If you’re anything like us, your every waking moment over the past week has been consumed by thoughts of the Olympics: the races! the medals! Her Majesty skydiving! But you might have missed this: an adorable short film by Amael Isnard and Leo Bridle in which the vermin—ahem, excuse me, urban animals of London carry their own tiny Olympic torch through the streets. It’ll make you see rats in a different light (i.e. a cute one). (Via The Mary Sue)
[vimeo]http://vimeo.com/46296980[/vimeo]

• Excuse us, CNN, but why are you asking if the Olympic mascots are “cute or creepy”? Wenlock and Mandeville—yes, those are their names—were forged out of steel and rainbows. STEEL AND RAINBOWS, people! We all know the answer to their question is “absolutely adorable.” And if you don’t think a big-headed alien-type-thing can be cute, we implore you to watch E.T. immediately.
• Over at her blog, Katie Workman, author of The Mom 100 Cookbook, writes about making food for two young boys who aren’t always that easy to please (and what kids are?). But this week the tables turned, when her son Jack and his friend Aaron made breakfast for the whole family—specifically, popovers. This blog post has the double-whammy of cute kids and adorable little puffed breakfast pastries. Yum!

What with the rumor-mongering and mud-slinging that’s so prevalent in contemporary politics, we wouldn’t be surprised if all this election talk was getting you down. Luckily we have the solution: Kid President! This little POTUS knows what’s what, and he can also seriously cut a rug. Plus, he’s wise beyond his years: “If it doesn’t make the world better, don’t do it.” You’ve got our vote, Kid President!
[youtube]http://youtu.be/7bW7s98R088[/youtube]

•  On the one hand, this story about bears in Bearsville invading a home multiple times while the owners were out is scary. It’s sad that their kitchen was ransacked, although fortunately nobody was hurt. On the other hand, you adorable silly bears!! We know you probably got confused because you live in Bearsville, NY, but that’s not your house!! (Via Stephen Colbert)
• If we’re going to blog about cute things we might as well include this link to a piece on the origin of the word “cute.” It even has a totally cute graph.

We’re suckers for a cute animal video, and goats rank SUPER high on the hierarchy of animal adorability. Need proof? This tiny goat is doing parkour—off her friend’s back.
[youtube]http://youtu.be/5IuRzJRrRpQ[/youtube]

• Speaking of cute animal videos, enjoy these kittens drinking from tiny bottles. You win again, Cute Overload!!

—Avery, who’s off to practice some parkour

Wednesday’s great for many reasons, but our favorite is Wednesday Cute, your weekly dose of cute things from around the Web. This week: singing clouds, a hand-held pony, and a tooth-brushing PSA to end them all.

It may seem an unlikely source for cute things (after all, their motto isn’t “All the CUTE That’s Fit to Print.” Although it should be), but last week the New York Times brought us dock-diving dogs and I’m still not over it. This week’s Times photo is a bit older but just as charming: “Billed as the smallest pony in the world: Santab, which at the age of a year is only 25 inches high and weighs 60 pounds [!!!], on display as an attraction in a London store.” See this and more great photos of old at The Lively Morgue, an oft-updated blog of pictures from the Times archives.

•  We know the adage says you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, but when this six-year-old guessed the plot of classic novels based solely on the jacket art, we considered erasing that old expression from our memories and encouraging children far and wide to judge away! A choice line, from her review of Jane Eyre: “This is about a girl that goes mining. I don’t know why, but she looks like she would go mining, mining for gold.” Don’t let Jane hear you say that, kid.
• If you didn’t think clouds could be cute, you haven’t seen Cloudy, an animated short about the lives of the world’s most adorable clouds.

Usually we’d just link to a video we like, but this is too good not to put right here on the page. The Oregon Dental Association made a PSA about brushing your teeth called Teach Me How to Brushy. That’s right: It’s based on “Teach Me How to Dougie,” and it features kids breaking it down in the name of oral hygiene. We know it’s aimed at children, but it’s even inspired us to floss (and brushy).

[youtube]http://youtu.be/5ugQLL65BKc[/youtube]

• We don’t mean to obsess, but have you seen the entries in the My Dog Needs Glasses contest?! They’re…wait for it…SO CUTE. And hey, if you upload a photo of YOUR dog wearing glasses by July 31 you’re entered to win a signed copy of Barney Saltzberg’s Arlo Needs Glasses, probably one of the cutest books of all time. Who doesn’t want that?
• The 2012 Olympics are exciting, impressive, inspiring—but are they cute? Not really. You know what are cute? THE GUINEA PIG GAMES.

This kitten—named Nugget, for cute’s sake—loves Bananagrams. There’s not much more to say. You win this round, Cute Overload.

—Avery, who as a kid had a toothbrush that sang “I’m your friend Brushy-Brushy, / I keep your teeth shiny and bright. / Please brush with me every day, / Morning, noon, and night!”

After a brief hiatus (I was in England! English accents: so cute), Wednesday Cute is back and cute as ever. This week we’re bringing you little kids at Comic Con, a giant yarn-bombed alligator, and a canine sport so cool (and cute) that you’ll put away your Frisbee in shame.

Let’s jump right in: Doggy dock diving is a sport and it’s the cutest thing ever. Basically, dogs leap from docks over the water and straight into your heart. This slideshow alone is reason enough to buy a subscription to the New York Times. (Photo by Megan Bearder)

• Did you ever give your little sister or brother a haircut with a pair of safety scissors? Your parents were mad, right? They wouldn’t have been mad if you’d been as cute as these girls. Here, NPR reporter Jeff Cohen talks to his two very young daughters about what could have possibly been going through their minds as the older snipped the younger’s long locks. The resulting interview is more adorable than you can even imagine.
• Watch this baby turtle eat a raspberry. You won’t be sorry.

The Avengers was a great movie, but it was lacking in the aww department. What’s that you say? Comic Con kiddies dressed as super heroes? WHOA, super adorable! Below, Mini-Hawkeye and the Tiny Flash—the latter a familiar friend from the DC Universe. (via The Mary Sue)

• We love unlikely friendships! So we went ape over this monkey who’s adopted a litter of puppies as her own.
• Have we mentioned that Arlo needs glasses? Enter a photo of your bespectacled dog in our contest for a chance to win a signed copy of the adorable book!

An already awesome alligator-shaped playground (!!) became all the more spectacular when yarn-bomber Olek and a team of “crocheteiros” covered the structure in colorful yarn. Going rainbow-colored and fuzzy would do a lot to improve alligators’ reputations as a species. (via Flavorwire)

• If someone were to bring to ME to the beach, I certainly wouldn’t drag my adorably big paws and floppy ears and tiny fluffy tail through the sand!

—Avery, who’s going to send her dog to dock diving camp

In this week’s Wednesday Cute: a rainbow pony made of paper, adorable kids reading in an adorable underground library, and the gift of literacy from a sweet dad to his high school grad. Happy Wednesday!

If you like books (duh!), you’ll love the Underground New York Public Library, a charming blog by a photographer who snaps pictures of people reading on the NYC subway. Below, two young bibliophiles devour Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw by Jeff Kinney and Warriors by Erin Hunter while their parents look on. (Here’s another of my favorites. And look, someone reading Water for Elephants!)

• Speaking of parents and books, awesome dad Bryan Martin gave his daughter Brenna the sweetest high school graduation gift of all time: a copy of the fairly typical Oh, the Places You’ll Go!—inscribed with messages from every one of her teachers, principals, and sports coaches since kindergarten. Awww.

We love all things paper-crafty (exhibit A: Paper Made!), and these animals are no exception. Artist Diana Herrera has made a veritable menagerie of adorable paper craft creatures; you can see them on her Flickr site divided into birds and other animals. Here, a rainbow horse! (via The Mary Sue)

• These papertoy monster robots are kind of intimidating…and also CUTE.
• Ever wonder what life looks like from a dog’s point of view? Check out this video of pups at play, captured by a camera attached to a dog’s collar. They are clearly having so. Much. FUN.
• You’re more of a cat person, you say? Here’s a live stream of seven kittens in a box. You’re welcome.

In honor of the “My Dog Needs Glasses!” Pinterest contest, enjoy this collection of bespectacled dogs (and cats).

• AND AN ENORMOUS PINK KNITTED RABBIT. Ahem.

—Avery, who wants to open a papercraft zoo

SHARE A PHOTO OF YOUR DOG IN GLASSES for a chance to win a signed copy of Arlo Needs Glasses by Barney Saltzberg. Whether or not your dog has fuzzy vision, we are positive he will look just as smart as Arlo in a pair of snazzy frames.

To enter the “My Dog Needs Glasses!” Pinterest contest, follow these steps:

1)      Follow Workman Publishing on Pinterest (so you can vote and enter the contest).

2)      Pin a photo of your dog wearing glasses on your personal Pinterest with the hashtag #ArloNeedsGlasses (to help us track entries). You can pin to win between June 25 and July 31!

3)      Vote on your favorite photos with repins and likes.

We’ll pin photos to the official “My Dog Needs Glasses!” board. The five photos with the most likes and re-pins by July 31st will win an autographed copy of Arlo Needs Glasses. Entrants must be U.S. residents.

Contest opens Monday, so start scheming now (copious treats recommended.)

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NuDPB_fBW3c[/youtube]

Arlo Needs Glasses (Workman Publishing, July 1, 2012, Hardback, $15.95, Ages 3+, ISBN 9780761168799) is an interactive children’s title by bestselling author Barney Saltzberg, chock full of pop-up features and try-on glasses. Arlo Needs Glasses introduces a shaggy, free-spirited dog who loves to play catch – until one day, he can’t see the ball anymore. He needs glasses! Arlo Needs Glasses playfully demystifies the eye doctor experience, allaying anxiety in kids who are about to enter the world of glasses – which among other things, help them become better readers.

Barney is the author-illustrator of Beautiful Oops!, the successful Kisses series, Peekaboo, Crazy Hair Day, and Good Egg, as well as many other beloved children’s books. Also a singer-songwriter, he has written tunes for the PBS show “Arthur” and continues to perform music for children. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife and two dogs. You can follow him on Twitter @BSaltzberg.

ATTN bloggers! If you love dogs, glasses, and/or the combo of dogs & glasses, please feel free to share this contest: http://www.workman.com/blog/?p=16100

OFFICIAL MY DOG NEEDS GLASSES CONTEST RULES
NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. VOID OUTSIDE THE FIFTY UNITED STATES AND WHERE PROHIBITED. ALL CONTEST ENTRIES ARE SUBJECT TO THE OFFICIAL RULES WHICH GOVERN ALL ASPECTS OF PARTICIPATION AND PRIZE AWARD.

ELIGIBILITY:

Entrants must be legal U.S. residents. Employees of Workman Publishing Co., Inc. and their respective parents, subsidiaries, affiliates, advertising and promotion agencies, promotional partners, and the immediate families of each living in the same household are not eligible to enter.

By accepting a prize, winner (and parent or legal guardian, if applicable) agrees to release and hold harmless Workman Publishing Co., Inc. and each of their parents, affiliates, subsidiaries, and directors, officers, attorneys, employees and agents from any all damage, injury, death, loss or other liability of any kind that may arise from or in connection with his or her acceptance of a prize awarded.

HOW TO ENTER:
To enter, take a photo of your dog wearing glasses and pin your photo to your  Pinterest  board with the hashtag: #ArloNeedsGlasses  and follow Workman (www.pinterest.com/workmanpub) between June 25, 2012, 12:00:01 a.m. (Eastern Time) and July 31, 2012, 11:59:59 (Eastern  Time). Photos will be repinned onto the “My Dog Needs Glasses board.

We encourage you to be silly, but not put your dog through too much embarrassment.

For purposes of these rules, “receipt” of an electronic entry occurs when Sponsor’s servers record the entry information upon clicking the “submit” (or similar) button. In the event of a dispute as to the identity of the entrant, the entrant will be deemed to be the individual who is the registered holder of the email account. All entries must include your name and e-mail address. Incomplete entries will be voided.

PRIZES:Five Prize Winners will each receive an autographed copy of the book ARLO NEEDS GLASSES by Barney Saltzberg.

SELECTION:
The five photos with the most “likes” and re-pins” will be declared he winning entries.

NOTIFICATION:
Winners will be notified on their Pinterest posts by August 3, 2012. If potential winner cannot be reached or does not acknowledge notification within five (5) days of first notification attempt, the prize will be forfeited and the next photo with the most likes  and re-pins will be selected as a potential  Prize Winner.

CONDITIONS OF PARTICIPATION:
By entering or accepting a prize in this contest, the winners ( and parent or legal guardian, if applicable) agree to be bound by these Official Rules, and to conform to all federal, state, and local laws and regulations.  There are no prize substitutions, transfers, or cash equivalents permitted.

SPONSOR OWNERSHIP OF ENTRIES:
All entries submitted will become the property of  Workman Publishing Co. Inc., and will not be returned to anyone. As such, they can be used on books and calendars published by Workman Publishing Co., Inc. or licensed to third parties by Workman Publishing Co., Inc. without specific permission or compensation. Efforts will be made to credit the contributor by name when possible. If you prefer to remain anonymous, please let us know when you make your submission.

RESERVATION OF RIGHTS:
Sponsor is not responsible for (a) incorrect or inaccurate entry of information by entrants; late, lost, garbled, misdirected, incomplete, or damaged entries or transmissions caused by interrupted or unavailable network, server or other connections; scrambled transmissions or other errors or problems of any kind whether mechanical, human, or electronic, technical malfunctions of the computer hardware, software, or any combination thereof; or problems associated with any virus or any other damage caused to entrants’ systems; (b) any Contest disruptions, injuries, losses, or damages caused by events beyond the control of Sponsor; or c) any printing or typographical errors in any materials associated with this Contest.

Sponsor reserves the right to cancel, terminate or modify this Contest in the event that this Contest is not capable of being conducted or completed as planned for any reason including, without limitation, as a result or computer virus(es), bugs, tampering, or technical failures of any kind. If the Contest is cancelled or terminated, notification will be posted at www.barbecuebible.com. In the event that an individual attempts to undermine the legitimate operation of this Contest Sponsor, in addition to disqualifying such person from in this Contest, reserves the right to seek damages and all other available remedies (whether at law or in equity) against him or her.

DISPUTE RESOLUTION:
By entering, participant waives all rights to claim punitive, incidental and consequential damages, attorneys’ fees or any damages other than actual out-of-pocket costs or losses that may arise in connection with participation in the Contest or acceptance, possession and use of any prize Except where prohibited, by participating, you agree that a) any and all disputes, claims and causes of action arising out of or connected with this Contest shall be resolved individually, without resort to any form of class action, b) any and all claims, judgments and awards shall be limited to actual out-of-pocket costs incurred, including costs associated with participating, but in no event attorney’s fees; and c) under no circumstances will any participant be permitted to obtain awards for and hereby waives all rights to claim punitive, incidental and consequential damages and any other damages, other than for actual out-of-pocket expenses, and any and all rights to have damages multiplies or otherwise increased.

WHO WON:
Any mailed requests to receive the list of prize winners must be sent to Workman Publishing, My Dog Needs Glasses Contest Winners, 225 Varick Street, New York, NY 10014, no later than August 31, 2012 and must be accompanied by a self-addressed, stamped envelope.

SPONSOR:

Workman Publishing Co., Inc., 225 Varick Street, New York, NY 10014

When it comes to babies and kitties, Workman tends to knock it out of the park. Mix those two ingredients together in real life, and the combined cuteness just might explode your brain. Here, a true masterpiece of overwhelming proportions:

Take that, Michelangelo…

All week New York City has been abuzz with the excitement of the Westminster Dog Show. (Have you seen the ewok that won Best in Show? Adorable!) We here at Workman absolutely love all things canine, so the dog show has been a source of much discussion around the office. But to our minds, the real main event of the week was the Dog Writers Association of America Awards, where The Love That Dog Training Program took home two top prizes!

First, the Dog Writers Association of America awarded The Love That Dog Training Program a Maxwell Award for being the Best Book in the Training and Behavior category. At the same event, the book was recognized by the Association of Pet Dog Trainers for promoting Canine Life and Social Skills (C.L.A.S.S.). Co-author Larry Kay was on hand to accept the award on behalf of himself and Dawn Sylvia-Stasiewicz, who sadly passed away early last year.

Love That Dog teaches the practice of positive reinforcement training—using love and encouragement, not intimidation and suppression—to raise happy and healthy dogs. We’re so glad to see that this humane (and fun!) method is not only catching on among the general public, but also being recognized and encouraged by professionals in the dog world. Congratulations to Dawn and Larry, and everyone involved in making this book a success!

As anyone familiar with Workman will tell you, we really love cats. We also love stories with happy endings—which is why we were excited to read this story of a missing cat who was reunited with his family almost a year after he disappeared.

Zach was selected as a winner of the 2012 365 Cats Page-a-Day Calendar, but by the time his owners were notified last fall, he had gone missing from their yard. Happily, after seeing a picture of Zach in an article celebrating his appearance in the calendar, a neighbor realized that the cat she’d been feeding for months was a certified cat celebrity! She reached out to the owners, and the happy family has since been reunited. Hopefully now Zach is back for good.

Zach's photo appears on Nov. 9 of the 2012 "365 Cats" calendar.

It’s Monday morning—woof. Instead of worrying about the week ahead, watch this video of a boxer puppy meeting some cows! It’s sure to melt your heart (and your anxieties).

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=msbSys9Z27I[/youtube]

For more charming stories of unusual animal pairings, pick up a copy of Unlikely Friendships by Jennifer S. Holland.