Especially Today: A Tale of Unexpected Kindness by Taryn M. Aina is a cute kids' story. There's a mouse in the house and Mom has to find it – she doesn't need this today of all days! No matter how hard Mom searches, all she finds is evidence but that mouse is nowhere to be found. When she finally discovers where the mouse has been hiding, she is in for a surprise, for not all is as it seems. Why is today so special to Mom? And what is that mouse up to?

Especially Today by Taryn M. Aina is a charming story with some amazing illustrations by Emily Hercock. Written in rhyme, this is a fun tale that kids will love, but it also has an ending they won't expect and a surprise lesson. Things aren't always what they seem to be, and we should never take things at face value; appearances can truly be deceiving at times. At the end of the book, there is a simple test to see if kids were listening as the story was read to them and another test on their observation skills. There is also a useful glossary of words children might struggle to understand, making it a great book to help increase their vocabulary, too. A series of post-reading questions will help test their understanding. This is one of the silliest and loveliest children's books I have ever had the pleasure to read, and I guarantee that parents and caregivers will be reading this over and again to their children.

In Especially Today: A Tale of Unexpected Kindness by Taryn M. Aina, there is a mouse in the house, and the mother is running frantically around trying to find where it is. She does not want the mouse in the house. But even after a stern warning, the mouse won't listen to her. The mother can feel she is not alone in the house, but when she rushes into the room where her gowns are sewn, instead of finding the mouse, she spills the lemonade. She is not willing to give up the search and stomps into the kitchen, then moves from bedroom to bedroom looking for the mouse. The mouse seems to have vanished into thin air. As she moves into the game room, her frustration is mounting, but there is still one other place that she hasn’t checked. How will things turn out?

Especially Today by Taryn M. Aina is wonderfully written with a seamless flow of events that leave no room for confusion for the young reader. The message in the book, such as the theme of kindness, will resonate with the audience. Young readers will also appreciate the easy-to-understand language used, which makes the work appropriate for kids. The illustrations by Emily Hercock were amazing and not only added to the overall beauty of this work but also made it effective in passing on the intended message. The characters were well-developed, and the excellent narration also contributed greatly to capturing the attention of the reader. This is a good story, and I look forward to more by this author.