TODAY IS FOR YOU!

Calling all kids: Today is yours; make the most of it!

In this U.K. import with pages bursting with colors, groups of kids do all sorts of playful, active stuff—they occasionally rest, too—and cavort in indoor and outdoor settings. While that’s going on, empowering, exhilarating rhymes, set against colored backgrounds in a slew of multicolored, boldfaced sizes and fonts, exhort readers to grab TODAY by the horns and make it completely theirs. There’s no time to waste. But then, who would want to? Readers are told there’s so much for kids to do today, and on every day, that they should seize every moment! It’s noteworthy that almost no adults are depicted in the bold, very dynamic mixed-media illustrations: This is strictly child territory. There’s a commendable, uplifting message for youngsters here: Do you, be you, and be proud of whoever you are. But while all this is inspiringly kid-centric, it all goes on a bit too long, and youngsters may run out of steam after a while, especially given that many points are repeated throughout: “Jump up and smile / And take a bow. / When is today? / Exactly now.” Characters throughout are diverse in terms of race and ability.

An enthusiastic reminder to rejoice in being yourself every single day.