The Last Straw: Kids vs. Plastics, written by Susan Hood and illustrated by Christiane Engel. Harper, 2021. $23.99 ages 6 and up

 

"In 2019, a young whale washed ashore in the 
Philippines with eighty-eight pounds of plastic
bags, nylon ropes, and rice sacks in its stomach.
The plastic clogged its digestive system, and 
feeling full, the whale didn't eat. With no way
to digest or expel the plastic, it died of starvation
and dehydration."

Susan Hood begins her book with a poem about plastic and what a difference it makes in the world. Where would we be without it? While recognizing its many benefits, do we consider the lasting consequences of our dependence on plastic? 

"Imagine medicine without disposable surgical gloves,
IV bags, syringes, pacemakers, stents; sports without 
helmets, goggles, mouth guards, life vests; grocery 
stores without protective food wrapping. How do we
use - and reuse - the plastic we need, refuse the plastic
we don't, and avoid abusing the Earth?" 

Each poem is accompanied by information boxes that provide a close look at some of the many problems plastic is causing for the environment. She writes about the whales that are caught up in the plastic stew that threatens all ocean life; the life cycle of a plastic fork; the plastic particles we ingest every year; the garbage patches that form in our oceans; the plastic bags that never decompose; and more. 

"Americans use about 100 billion plastic shopping bags
every year. If you counted these bags one bag per second, 
it would take you (and your descendants!) nearly 3,200 
years!"

Luckily, we have concerned people working to create solutions to the problems of plastic waste. Ms. Hood introduces her readers to children who are also making big differences: buddy benches created by melting collected bottle tops (Sammie Vance did the collecting); raising money to clean up frog habitats (Justin Sather); building a school in Guatemala by collecting plastic bottles and filling them with other litter to make ecobricks; organizing a movement to ban the use of plastic straws (Milo Cress, who writes the introduction for this fine book); and creating a rooftop solar heater using recycled plastics (Xochitl Guadalupe Cruz Lopez). The list goes on, and the ideas are astounding. 

Kids don't have to be scientists or inventors; they need to be concerned about what is happening in our world. Every single one of us can change things in our own communities and make the world a better place to be. Children in classrooms today who have access to books such as this will know much more than previous generations ever knew, and they will learn to be better advocates for this place we all call home. 

"Many hands, many faces, 
many lands, many races
can scrap the old ways  
and piece together a craft - 
an ark, a lifeboat, 
a patchwork of many colors - 
to sail the seven seas, 
to tell the world
this is our home
and it's worth changing course 
to protect it.

It won't be easy. Together we can get it done. Sharing this book is inspiration for taking on the hard work. 

An author's note, a timeline, a definition of plastic, suggestions for what to use rather than plastic, a list of the top ten ocean polluters (cigarette butts are #1), current sources for each of the poems, notes on poetic forms, and books for further learning comprise a wealth of information in back matter.