So we folks at Wednesday Cute have been featuring a lot of “baby animals being cute” videos lately. But can you blame us?! They are so cute!!

This baby elephant just wants to snuggle. And who are we to deny him? Get over here, buddy, and let’s hug it out! (via)

He doesn’t know his own size—and that is CUTE. He’s like the world’s largest Snuggle Puppy! Have fun out there, little guy; maybe someday you’ll find a snuggle buddy your own size.

–Avery, who would cuddle with this elephant any day

Happy Valentine’s Day! Last year we celebrated with some adorable babies reading/snuggling with their beloved copies of Sandra Boynton’s book Snuggle Puppy. Now it’s been a year, and those babies are babies no more! Well, yes, they definitely still are—but now they’re mobile! They love to crawl and climb and run and play! And when they’re done bouncing around, they still love to read.

Recently* the Workman office hosted a party for the many kids of Workman employees. The results, as you’ll see below, were incredibly cute. Enjoy these photos from the most recent Workman play date; they’re sure to melt your heart, chocolate or otherwise.

Group publisher Bob Miller serenades Charlotte...

...while Scarlet rocks out on the tambourine...

...and Trey and Lorca break it down on the dance floor!

Levi loves bubbles! (And who doesn't?)

Vallen knows that books can be enjoyed both rightside up AND upside down.

Caleb samples the snacks (and books) on offer...

...while Isabella enjoys storytime with Mom.

Evie's ready for a day at the beach!

Some babies, like Madeleine, were still a little young to join the action...

...but that doesn't mean that they, like Serenity here, didn't enjoy watching as much as we adults did!

*Okay, you caught me: This event was actually a few months ago. (No, we don’t wear shorts and sandals in February around here…) But the pictures just seemed so right—so sweet and cute and fun—for Valentine’s Day that we couldn’t resist sharing them today.

Call us biased, but we think the best presents come in book form. Since we’ve recently welcomed the newest little Workman-ites into our extended office family, that got us thinking about our favorite gifts for new parents. Here are just a few of our picks for the new mom, new dad, and mama-to-be:

• Snuggle Puppy by Sandra Boynton – What could be better than a great big hug in book form? It’s the perfect love letter from parent to child.

• Beautiful Oops by Barney Saltzberg – A sweet book with a powerful message: When you make a mistake, think of it as an opportunity to make something beautiful!

• Gallop by Rufus Butler Seder – Every turn of the page brings a new animal to life: a horse in full gallop, a turtle swimming, an eagle soaring. It’s impossible not to flip the pages again and again!

• Indestructibles - Beautifully illustrated books that babies can really sink their teeth into! They’re waterproof, tear-proof–baby-proof!–and truly impossible to destroy. (Trust us, we’ve tried.)

• What to Expect the First Year by Heidi Murkoff – Why not get something for the new mama, too? This book has absolutely everything parents needs to know about their baby’s first year from one of the most trusted names in pregnancy.

Forget the candlelight and cue the oooohs and aaaaahs! In our opinion, Valentine’s Day is the perfect time to snuggle up with your favorite baby and say I love you.

Being Workman Babies, these sensational tots happen to share a favorite little love song:

It goes:

OOOOOH, SNUGGLE PUPPY OF MINE

Everything about you is especially fine.

I love what you are.

I love what you do.

OOOOO, I love you!  Big smooch!

Five sleeping puppies snuggled up together…time to grab the video camera and break out the Boynton soundtrack. Yep, it’s another Snuggle Puppy fan video featuring some incredibly adorable puppy siblings taking a nap–always good for a boost on a dreary winter day!

Everyone knows kids love singing and dancing to Sandra Boynton songs, but the incredibly catchy tunes are also beloved by parents and grandparents alike. This grandfather sings and reads along with Barnyard Dance with high energy and quite a bit of gusto! It’s always fun to sing along while reading Boynton books, but you might want to refrain from doing this one at bedtime or your little one might end up dancing around the room instead of nodding off to sleep!

The holidays are in full swing, but if you’re anything like me you’re probably still struggling to figure out what to get many of the people on your list. Well look no further, because Workman employees have very helpfully told me what they’re getting for their loved ones, and when I put it all together I got (drum-roll please) the 2010 Workman Holiday Gift Guide Extravaganzaaaa!

That’s right—it’s the ultimate gift-giving resource, divided into three easy parts. This morning’s installation is all about gifts for Kids and Kids-at-Heart. So go ahead: Consult the list to find the perfect gift for even your hardest-to-shop-for friends and relatives. Then stay tuned for part two, The Grown-Ups’ Table, and part three, Might-as-Well-Be-Family Friends, coming up later today and tomorrow morning.  Plus, if you’ve got any suggestions for other holiday present-shoppers, leave them in the comments!

For Kids and Kids-at-Heart:

• “I am giving my 1-year-old son Henry Indestructibles: Jungle Rumble! because in the past month he has become a messenger of mayhem. He especially loves ripping up paper, so I’m going to thwart him with this title. Winner: Mama!” —Camille
• “I’m giving Potato Chip Science to my cousins, because they learn best when they are hands-on!” —Cristina
• “My niece is getting Amazing Cows, because she swears by Sandra Boynton, and swears when she doesn’t get Sandra Boynton books.” —Randall
• “My 7-year-old daughter is obsessing over TV ads for the latest toy craze, “Teacup Piggies.” Santa can give her the trashy toy; I’m putting the Pocket Pigs calendar under the tree so she can have real-live cuteness long after the batteries die (and count for herself how many days it is until her birthday!).” —Page
• “My brother gets the Who Farted? Calendar. Yes, he’s in his late 50s, but he’s a pediatrician, so he said he’d put it in his examination room at the hospital and it would really break the ice with new patients.” —Beth
• “I’m giving Doodle: A Chalkboard Calendar to my daughter, to tell her how much I appreciate her goofy creativity. And I Will Teach You to Be Rich goes to my son, who’s just out of college and in a job that pays less than publishing … I’m a Ramit Sethi convert, and I think my son will worry about money less if he automates it more.” —Suzie
• “My youngest sister’s getting a copy of The Girls’ Guide to Rocking, because not much rocks harder than a girl drummer. My other sister will love playing all the ridiculous games in The Games Bible with her new college friends.” —Avery
• “I’ll give Generation T and Generation T: Beyond Fashion to my creative niece, who aspires to be a fashion designer. And thought I’d package it with a few blank T-shirts to get her started!” —Kathy
• “I’m giving Beautiful Oops! (not just for kids!) to an aged hippie grandmother friend who relentlessly “embraces” creativity wherever and however she finds it. Which is everywhere.

Keep your eye on this space for Part 2: The Grown-Ups’ Table, coming this afternoon!

This group has a pretty impressive menagerie of barnyard animals, and it’s put to excellent use in this very accurate performance of Sandra Boynton’s Barnyard Dance. These kids don’t just pretend to bow to a horse and cow, they’ve got a cow, a horse, and even bouncing bunnies and chickens to spin with!

As someone who still remembers all the words to Hippos Go Berserk! at age 28, spending the day with Sandra Boynton was akin to having a kitchen full of freshly baked cupcakes at my disposal. In a word: Amazing!

At 10am last Saturday I arrived at Books of Wonder, a nearly unrivaled children’s bookstore in New York to find my Workman colleagues already hard at work. The Main Event would take place from 12-2pm, and would be kicked off with live performances of songs from Boynton musical classics Philadelphia Chickens and Blue Moo. At 10 the stage was still being assembled, the lighting tweaked and the mics sound-checked. My cohorts and I stuffed goody bags for the kids while the marvelous Books of Wonder staff ran around making sure they were ready for the impending crowd.

By 11:30 a few curious onlookers had started to make their way to the back of the store to claim a prime spot near the stage. The stacks of Boynton titles started to slowly disappear, the plush chickens, cows, ducks, and aardvarks were tucked one by one under an arm or into stroller for purchase, and the craft table where I was stationed drew the attention of young people barely tall enough to see over the top. We were all surrounded by a gallery of Boynton art, including an entire wall of prints from Amazing Cows!, portraits of some very serious farm animals, and rather suspect assembly of eavesdropping chickens.

We were welcomed at noon by Peter, our host and Books of Wonder’s proprietor, and by Sandra, who was lovely and welcoming. They introduced the musical acts, which began with a group of slick dudes signing “Be Like a Duck”, a fan fave from Philadelphia Chickens. They were followed by Sandy’s daughter Caitlin performing her perennial hit “Faraway Cookie”, another tune from the Philly Chickens album. The lovely Sparklets closed the set to an enthusiastic crowd with their hit “Blue Moo” from the book and album of the same name.

Sandy then took her place at the signing table and awaited the hoards of fans young and old. We manned the craft station for the duration of the event, handing out paper templates for “udderflys” (yup, cows with butterfly wings) and “cowlidescopes”, all the while humming “Blue Moo” and dancing with varying degrees of talent.

By 2:30 Sandy had met with each and every audience member and had signed loads of Amazing Cows! for some very happy readers. We sent the last of the udderflys sailing home, as families went off to shop for holiday gifts and Christmas trees. It was a lighthearted day filled with great music, good company, and a lot of cows. I couldn’t think of a better way to kick off the holiday season. Many thanks to Sandra Boynton and her entourage for making such a spectacular appearance!

If you haven’t bought your copy of Amazing Cows! yet, do so without delay. I guarantee that when your kids turn 28, they will still remember every word.

It didn’t take much searching on YouTube for us to realize that Sandra Boynton has a ton of amazingly creative fans out there. This fan created animation inspired by Sandra’s illustrations to put together a music video for “Shortest Song in The Universe” from Rhinoceros Tap. It’s a wonderful compliment to a beloved song.