If someone wrote a book about you, what would happen in it? Who would you be? What would you do? This rhyming, cheerily illustrated picture book offers some possible answers. You might, for example, travel on a broomstick or find yourself a magic wand. You might travel to outer space or the Arctic, or you may stay closer to home. You might do incredible, important things like rescuing royalty or giving huge speeches or tearing down walls. You might heal the world by curing polar bears of their blues or simply apologizing for something you did wrong. You might go on wild adventures that give you the opportunity to interact with walruses, dinosaurs, emus, yaks, and tea-sipping frogs. When you use your imagination and tell your own stories, there are endless possibilities for magic, mayhem, fun, and learning. The layered, geometric illustrations include cartoon characters with various skin tones inhabiting colorful, detailed worlds that burst with life and movement. The text has a call-and-response feel that lends itself to reading out loud. Some of the pages reference possible choices that could occur both in dreams and in real life, such as doing small kindnesses or choosing your own path. At times, however, the words feel repetitive, with, perhaps, scenarios added to fill out the page count rather than because they were strictly necessary. (This book was reviewed digitally with 10-by-20-inch double-page spreads viewed at 56.3% of actual size.) This quirky picture book is sweet but overlong. (Picture book. 3-6) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

"If your life were a book / with pictures and pages, / what would you do / to be read through the ages?" Featuring upbeat rhymes and busy, cheerful animated art, this peppy, motivational read invites kids to imagine what they could do or be, during playtime and beyond. The scenarios portray an inclusive group of children in a variety of settings, accompanied by direct-address lines: "Would you ride / on a dinosaur? / Romp with emus? / Would you dance with a yak / while you both play kazoos?" Some highlight artistic endeavors and traits like kindness and bravery; others prompt more philosophical considerations--"Would you follow the crowd? / Or lead from your heart?" Color-saturated illustrations, evocative of mid-century modern animation, crowd spreads with lively details, many alluding to the book's overall theme. Though the narrative is somewhat lengthy, and occasional awkward rhymes can hamper the flow, the fanciful illustrations will be appealing for younger kids, and some of the weightier concepts, such as those about making a difference, might resonate with older picture-book readers.

With whimsical, Seussian rhymes, Reidy employs a second-person perspective, inviting readers to consider the myriad lives they might access through imagination and books. Offering options from a variety of genres, including fantasy and speculative fiction, Reidy traces multiple paths--including, perhaps confusingly,"a book about you in a book about YOU." Digital art by Chou offers layered geometric art against bright kaleidoscopic backgrounds, with Mary Blair--inflected figures of varying abilities, hair textures, and skin tones appear as hot air balloon riders, wizards, mermaids, and more. Concluding by asking readers to consider the richness of their possible futures ("If your life were a book/ with pictures and pages,/ what would you do/ to be read through the ages?"), this encouraging read will find itself at home among gifty books handed to milestone-approaching kids. Ages 4--8. (Apr.)