What do you think?
Rate this book
Eat Cake for Breakfast: And 99 Other Small Acts of Happiness
Eat Cake for Breakfast is a beautifully illustrated book ideal for anyone who needs a little reminder of the good things in life. With 100 small and very doable acts of happiness, this adorable book is the perfect gift for almost any occasion.
Each of these activities is small, but paramount to happiness. Readers will open Eat Cake for Breakfast to find one hundred different ways to incorporate joy into their daily lives, all prompted by author Viola Sutanto’s mission to affirm humanity during her daughter’s life threatening medical treatment.
Inspired by the 100 Day Project, Sutanto embarked on a journey to uplift her family and her community with dozens of actionable suggestions for happiness. Her delicately colorful illustrations will immerse readers with each recommendation. No matter how tough life gets, happiness can be found in even the smallest acts of intentional joy.
Eat Cake for Breakfast is a tribute to the medical team at the UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital in Oakland, CA, where Viola’s daughter was treated for bone marrow failure. A portion of all proceeds will be donated to support their incredible work.
Each of these activities is small, but paramount to happiness. Readers will open Eat Cake for Breakfast to find one hundred different ways to incorporate joy into their daily lives, all prompted by author Viola Sutanto’s mission to affirm humanity during her daughter’s life threatening medical treatment.
Inspired by the 100 Day Project, Sutanto embarked on a journey to uplift her family and her community with dozens of actionable suggestions for happiness. Her delicately colorful illustrations will immerse readers with each recommendation. No matter how tough life gets, happiness can be found in even the smallest acts of intentional joy.
Eat Cake for Breakfast is a tribute to the medical team at the UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital in Oakland, CA, where Viola’s daughter was treated for bone marrow failure. A portion of all proceeds will be donated to support their incredible work.
- GenresNonfictionSelf Help
160 pages, Hardcover
Published August 17, 2021
6 people are currently reading
2472 people want to read
About the author
Viola Sutanto
3 books5 followersViola is the founder and creative force behind MAIKA, a stylish and sustainable soft goods brand inspired by delightful travel and everyday living. She is best known for her playful illustrations and textile designs that utilize unique patterns and color palettes, and distinctive hand-lettering. Her work has been featured on the Today show, The View, in Real Simple and O, The Oprah Magazine, and numerous other blogs and publications. She has over 20 years of experience in branding and design, and has collaborated with household brands ranging from Shutterfly, Peet's Coffee and Chronicle Books.Viola is a Tory Burch Fellow. She is also the author of “Packaging Your Crafts”.
Viola lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her family and finds big joy in the perfect cup of coffee, extra-dark chocolate and corny jokes by her kids.
Viola lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her family and finds big joy in the perfect cup of coffee, extra-dark chocolate and corny jokes by her kids.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
July 14, 2023
This was sweet, but somehow underwhelming.
May 12, 2022
“Eat Cake For Breakfast” is a wonderful book meant to bring joy to the reader as well as provide awareness of often overlooked sources of happiness in one’s daily life.
The book begins with the story behind how this book came to fruition which was due to a life threatening illness faced by the author’s daughter. During the dark days at the hospital, the author was surprised that despite her daughter’s physical illness, she still made a point to think of things that make her happy. After compiling her daughter’s list of 100 small acts of happiness, the author decided to create this book as a way to share happiness with others.
While the book is simple in its layout, it is powerful in the amount of joy and inspiration it creates. Each page contains a small act of happiness followed by a drawing. I like that the small act of happiness ranges from the simple thing like folding your laundry to more involved things such as going camping. In addition, I like that the book is one that can serve multiple purposes such as being a gift for a friend or loved on or as a source of suggestions for the reader to complete when they are feeling low. In closing, this was a delightful book to read and I definitely plan to use this book as a reminder to not take for granted all of the small acts of happiness I experience in my daily life.
The book begins with the story behind how this book came to fruition which was due to a life threatening illness faced by the author’s daughter. During the dark days at the hospital, the author was surprised that despite her daughter’s physical illness, she still made a point to think of things that make her happy. After compiling her daughter’s list of 100 small acts of happiness, the author decided to create this book as a way to share happiness with others.
While the book is simple in its layout, it is powerful in the amount of joy and inspiration it creates. Each page contains a small act of happiness followed by a drawing. I like that the small act of happiness ranges from the simple thing like folding your laundry to more involved things such as going camping. In addition, I like that the book is one that can serve multiple purposes such as being a gift for a friend or loved on or as a source of suggestions for the reader to complete when they are feeling low. In closing, this was a delightful book to read and I definitely plan to use this book as a reminder to not take for granted all of the small acts of happiness I experience in my daily life.
February 9, 2023
Small things matter..
March 14, 2023
Saw this book on a feed and chose to take a look into it to see it has to say about happiness....
Eat Cake for Breakfast starts off with an introduction in which the author explains how during a hard time in her daughter's life thus hers as well she was reminded happiness still could be found in the little things even when life was tough as her daughter showcased it. As a result she took it upon herself to start noticing those moments that have been normally forgotten.
The rest of the book is dedicated to providing the reader with a book whose each page is dedicated toa thought that may have brought joy to the author, to her daughter or maybe even both of them without generally specifying who it actually was for. As a result the presentation was very basic with the joys presented as basic concepts like warm frosty hands, indulge in "Me" time, share a fresh loaf, add sprinkles, plan adventures, etc. And as a result it allows the book to be more openly accessible to its readers since it's not demanding that these by your joys or your bucketlist goals but to actually take a moment to think of your own small acts of happiness.
The book is illustrated with simple artwork in which the elements are basic comic-type artwork that helps to summarize the point of the page instead of distract the reader from it.
All in all if you are looking for a deep read this won't be that type of book or one that you will be making deep bucketlists off of. Instead this book should be that brief reminder in your life that not all moments need to be big, expensive and brag-worthy to be important but sometimes it's those small moments that truly count.
Eat Cake for Breakfast starts off with an introduction in which the author explains how during a hard time in her daughter's life thus hers as well she was reminded happiness still could be found in the little things even when life was tough as her daughter showcased it. As a result she took it upon herself to start noticing those moments that have been normally forgotten.
The rest of the book is dedicated to providing the reader with a book whose each page is dedicated toa thought that may have brought joy to the author, to her daughter or maybe even both of them without generally specifying who it actually was for. As a result the presentation was very basic with the joys presented as basic concepts like warm frosty hands, indulge in "Me" time, share a fresh loaf, add sprinkles, plan adventures, etc. And as a result it allows the book to be more openly accessible to its readers since it's not demanding that these by your joys or your bucketlist goals but to actually take a moment to think of your own small acts of happiness.
The book is illustrated with simple artwork in which the elements are basic comic-type artwork that helps to summarize the point of the page instead of distract the reader from it.
All in all if you are looking for a deep read this won't be that type of book or one that you will be making deep bucketlists off of. Instead this book should be that brief reminder in your life that not all moments need to be big, expensive and brag-worthy to be important but sometimes it's those small moments that truly count.
August 17, 2021
I received a free copy of this book as a prize.
I'm probably in the target audience of people who need reminding that there are small joys in life-- living through the pandemic, with my unrelated chronic illness, and with my ODD teenager, home is the last place I want to be but the only place I can be.
I didn't find this book uplifting. It doesn't help me to consider things I may never be physically able to do again (hiking, boating). Small acts of daily "joy" that are accessible seem either emotionally exhausting (writing a letter, visiting a friend) or so inconsequential as to be a waste of time (literally anything else).
This would probably be a cute gift book for someone slightly less overwhelmed than current-me. It doesn't have a lot of substance, but is cute and provides space for the reader to consider the future. The beginning of the second school year during a never-ending pandemic may not be the right time to release this, or maybe most people are doing a bit better and can be more inspired by this booklet.
I'm probably in the target audience of people who need reminding that there are small joys in life-- living through the pandemic, with my unrelated chronic illness, and with my ODD teenager, home is the last place I want to be but the only place I can be.
I didn't find this book uplifting. It doesn't help me to consider things I may never be physically able to do again (hiking, boating). Small acts of daily "joy" that are accessible seem either emotionally exhausting (writing a letter, visiting a friend) or so inconsequential as to be a waste of time (literally anything else).
This would probably be a cute gift book for someone slightly less overwhelmed than current-me. It doesn't have a lot of substance, but is cute and provides space for the reader to consider the future. The beginning of the second school year during a never-ending pandemic may not be the right time to release this, or maybe most people are doing a bit better and can be more inspired by this booklet.
June 22, 2021
When Viola Sutanto's daughter was ill and going through months of treatment, Viola was inspired by the young girl's cheery disposition and ability to find happiness in small pleasures. Viola started making little drawings to record these moments and keep herself occupied while waiting in the hospital. She continued when her daughter came home and the drawing became something they did together. This book is a collection of the drawings with notes about small things to do to bring happiness into your day.
This precious little book is guaranteed to brighten your day. It would be a good book to leave on a bedside table as a reminder to be grateful for daily joys. It makes the perfect hostess or thank you gift, or a pick-me-up for a friend who's going through a rough patch.
This precious little book is guaranteed to brighten your day. It would be a good book to leave on a bedside table as a reminder to be grateful for daily joys. It makes the perfect hostess or thank you gift, or a pick-me-up for a friend who's going through a rough patch.
June 28, 2022
A 9 year old daughter who managed to find something to be happy about every single day she was in hospital, whether it was Nutella bagels for breakfast, or discovering re-runs of Full House on the hospital TV.
- Waving to a neighbour
- Rediscovering old books
Such a beautiful concept, only there were many small acts of happiness that weren't from her daughter.
- Taking a yoga class
- Waiting for the first pour (of coffee)
- Indulging in essential oils
- Folding laundry.
- Waving to a neighbour
- Rediscovering old books
Such a beautiful concept, only there were many small acts of happiness that weren't from her daughter.
- Taking a yoga class
- Waiting for the first pour (of coffee)
- Indulging in essential oils
- Folding laundry.
September 27, 2022
The quickest read ever… so much so I feel like i’m cheating by it counting towards how many books I have read! However, the idea and illustrations are beautiful. I enjoyed the journey of flipping through the pages and seeing the reminders of where I can find joy without being preachy or cheesy. It was simple. It was beautiful.. and i’m glad I took the 20 minutes to flip through it and appreciate the art and message behind the book. 💕 A nice simple book to just appreciate things.
July 30, 2021
This little book is really lovely! 100 Small but significant acts of joy. I really enjoyed reading through this and hope to revisit over and over again. We all need ideas and reminders of ways to add joy to our lives. ❤️ The illustrations are adorable and each page is a reminder of the wonderful joys of life, I couldn't love this book more. Great for a gift book with its mini size.
June 8, 2023
simple and beautiful
I read this book after hearing the mom speak at work. These are simple and beautiful reminders to help us engage in the everyday happiness that is within reach. I will read it again and again.
I read this book after hearing the mom speak at work. These are simple and beautiful reminders to help us engage in the everyday happiness that is within reach. I will read it again and again.
July 19, 2021
I won this book on a Goodreads contest. Simply beautifully written and illustrated. I plan on giving it to a special person for her bridal shower. I highly recommend this book. Thank you.
August 29, 2021
Cute illos. A good book for gifting.
November 7, 2021
Small books are often small acts of kindness. Sometimes you just need a quick reminder of how to look at life.
November 11, 2023
Sweet little book with some good reminders
May 16, 2024
Another one of those lovely list-type books, itemizing small things that can bring great happiness. Illustrated.
January 23, 2025
I was enticed by the cover but it was definitely not at all what I expected. Even so, I will now lovingly refer to myself as a “mouse potato”.
January 4, 2026
I made a book like this once and now I feel like I should have made an effort to get it published 🤷🏻♀️
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews