Review - Unstoppable Me

Unstoppable Me
by Susan Verde
illustrated by Andrew Joyner
Date: 2019
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 32
Format: e-book
Source: library

I am movement
Heat
Static electricity
Fueled by food
And powered by PLAY!

Unstoppable Me is about the sort of energetic child we all know and love — full of fun and play...and a bit exhausting! In this book, we see an unstoppable little boy, run, jump, and soar through his day. He takes a little time to refuel, then he's back at it—zooming and zipping around. From #1 New York Times bestselling author, Susan Verde, comes a poetic and joyful book about the celebration of an active child.

(synopsis from Goodreads)

This is less a celebration of an active child and more of a glorification of hyperactivity. If you don't have kids, this book might make you think twice about having any. The pace is so frenetic that I found it rather exhausting to read. It's definitely not a book for bedtime!

While I can get behind the message that there's nothing wrong with being active and some children learn better when they're in motion, I'm not a fan of the bratty behaviour that this child is sometimes shown engaging in. Jumping on furniture, tossing clothes into the bathtub, and standing on your chair at the dinner table while food flies from your mouth are more than just youthful exuberance; as far as I'm concerned, they're signs that the parents aren't doing their jobs. (I was also brought up short by the kid claiming he's "environmentally friendly". Having a kid is one of the worst things people can do for the environment, and while I'm not saying we should make kids feel guilty for existing, I don't think this message is very responsible. If anything, children need to know how environmentally unfriendly they--and all of us--are so they can work toward doing something about it.)

The illustrations are fine. They're nothing special, and there's plenty to look at. Still, I think most of my issues surrounding this book stem from the illustrations, since they're what depict the questionable behaviour.

This just didn't impress me. It might work for families with active kids, but even then, I think it's going to be more reassuring for the parents than entertaining for their children... if you can even get them to sit still long enough to read it to them!

Premise: 3/5
Meter: n/a
Writing: 3/5
Illustrations: 3/5
Originality: 3/5

Enjoyment: 2/5

Overall: 2.67 out of 5