Today is for you!

"Be who you are. And be that the most," large purple letters proclaim toward the start of Lloyd-Jones's exuberant declarative poem about living life to its fullest. Variants on a refrain loosely map the course of the day: "Hello! Good morning!/ (And how do you do?)/ Clap clap/ your hands/ today is for you!" as text urges the energetic appreciation of every moment ("Throw your arms open/ Stand up free and tall./ And love the world--/ Yes, love it all!"). Alongside giant graphical text, poster-like mixed-media artwork by Waldron depicts semi-silhouetted kids of varied abilities and skin tones approaching their nature-filled day with apparent enthusiasm, from morning until bedtime. One child plays guitar, a dozen cartwheel and climb a tree, and so on, lending the work an idyllic vibe reminiscent of "Free to Be... You and Me" and Oh, the Places You'll Go! Ages 3--7. (Feb.)

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. (Picture book. 4-7) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.