Unstoppable

February 1, 2020
Collaboration is the key to success in this picture book. The story enticingly begins with five double-page spreads, wordless except for onomatopoeia, as a cat leaps at a big-eyed crab sitting on a rock and the crab pinches back. The cat flees and leaps after a small bird next, who flies away with a startled "AAAH!" The illustrations, done in a collagelike style that combines simple shapes, deftly play with visual sequencing and wonderfully expressive characters to cleverly set up the story. After the bird lands near the crab, the text begins, with the crab waxing poetic: "Oh! If only I might escape this life of muddy scuttling and fly." To which the bird replies, in a surfer-dude tone (the distinct voices of each character are a joy), that it wishes for "big, snapping claws" in order to "pinch that cat on the nose." The two have an epiphany: combine forces and become "crabbird!" The illustration shows the bird clutching the crab as they fly through the air. The combinations don't stop, and "crabbird!" becomes "craburtlebird!" and "birdraburtlebear!" as they pick up a turtle and a bear to become even more "UNSTOPPABLE!" Or so they think--until they spy bulldozers clearing their forest home for a shopping mall. Fear not! The power of cooperation reaches its zenith in a satisfying, high-spirited conclusion (that includes illustrated human diversity, most notably in the form of a president who's a woman of color and a vigorously multiracial Congress). The power of teamwork becomes the people's power, all wrapped in a cheerful romp. (Picture book. 3-8)

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March 1, 2020

K-Gr 3-After a crab and a bird are threatened by a cat, they join forces, since one has always longed to fly and the other wants claws that snap. They describe themselves as Crabbird/Birdrab and are content until they both divulge their desire to swim as well as soar and pinch. Enlisting the aid of a turtle, the three become Craburtlebird-among other monikers-and feel they are "unstoppable," until they confront a bully. Even with their combined talents, they are intimidated by the angry bear until the three convince him to collaborate with them and they become Crabburbearbird! Though they now possess myriad strengths and abilities, they are no match for the humans who are razing the forest in the name of progress, so, of course, they enlist the help of the president and Congress. Vibrant illustrations were created using Procreate on an iPad and are engaging and humorous. VERDICT Introducing the picture book crowd to a bit of knowledge about who is in charge of passing laws, this will also delight adults in its depiction of our government.-Maryann H. Owen, Oak Creek Public Library WI

Copyright 2020 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from March 23, 2020
A put-upon crab and a crow—drawn by Park (Abner & Ian Get Right-Side Up) with an adorably goofy graphic aesthetic—realize that by combining the crow’s wings and the crab’s pincers, they can become the airborne scourge of their common enemy, a cat. “Crabbird!” shouts the crow, “Birdrab!” echoes the crab, “UNSTOPPABLE!” they cheer together after delivering a nose-pinch that sends the cat scurrying. But why stop there? In rapid succession, they join forces with a turtle, a bear named Steve, and (a little less willingly) the U.S. president and all of Congress, creating a highly improbable amalgam—“Congresibirdraburtlebear”—that proves “UNSTOPPABLE!” when it comes to righting wrongs—or, as Rex (The Next President) puts it, “passing laws and pinching the noses that need to be pinched.” It’s not only funny (Rex has a way with offhand remarks: “Well, I’ve always been a little envious of ducks,” the crab tells the bird) and beautiful to look at, with a clean, bold design and exuberant typography—it also hints at collaboration’s role in effecting change. If “UNSTOPPABLE” suddenly starts ringing through playgrounds across the nation, this fetching fractured fable is probably the reason why. Ages 5–8. Agent for author and illustrator: Steven Malk, Writers House.

Starred review from March 15, 2020
Grades K-3 *Starred Review* After a bird and crab barely escape a cat's assault, their commiseration leads to an idea: together, they could form one unstoppable unit that can both fly and pinch. Thus Crabbird is born?or Birdrab?depending on whom you ask?but it doesn't stop there. In a series of exponential escalations, they add to their dangling ranks a turtle ( Birdraburtle! Carburtlebird! Crabturd! ) and a bear ( Birdraburtlebear! Craburbearbird! Turbearbircrab! Steve! ). Then they meet a team of bulldozers demolishing the lakefront to build a shopping mall. How can the bulldozers possibly be stopped? The bird has an idea: the U.S. president! The animals snatch the commander-in-chief (a Black woman) from the Oval Office, but she reminds them that she can't pass laws, leading to the page turn of the year. As the chain of bird, crab, turtle, bear, and president soars away from the Capitol, they now tow an enormous, detailed ball of hundreds of panicky congresspeople, jammed together like chewing gum. A quick vote (with only a few nays) ends the demolition, and the Congresibirdraburtlebear flies off into the sunset. Park masterfully leverages comical expressions in her characters, despite their simple design. While Rex's humor will certainly appeal to adults, children will also delight in the over-the-top absurdity, even while absorbing a nice lesson on cooperation and, in a way, activism. Ridiculously fun.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)