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Each faced with a problem, Marvin Stone and Joseph B. Friedman made tweaks to the straw—one made it paper and one made it bend. But sometimes solving one problem, causes an even bigger one. The plastic straw and single-use plastics—everyday conveniences for most of us—are taking their toll on our environment. And it’s up to us to find the solution. |
"A fascinating history of straws morphs into a call to action."
- The Horn Book, Starred Review ★
"An important topic gets a very appealing treatment." - Kirkus
"A breezy overview of drinking straw history builds to a conservation-minded message about the need to reduce single-use plastics in this fascinating and accessible picture book." - Publisher's Weekly
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Learn how and why a useful, 5000-year-old invention has become a threat to our planet--and what you can do about it--in this history of the simple straw.
From reeds used by ancient Sumerians to bendy straws in World War II hospitals, people have changed the straw to fit their needs for 5000 years. Today however, this useful tool is contributing to the plastic problem polluting our oceans. Once again, the simple straw needs a reinvention.
With bright illustrations and well-researched text, children can read about the inventors behind the straw’s technological advancements, including primary sources like patents, as well as how disposable plastic harms the environment. See the newest solutions, from plastic straw alternatives to activism by real kids like Milo Cress who started the Be Straw Free campaign when he was 11 years old.
Learn about what kids can do to reduce plastic waste. The backmatter includes more information on the movement to stop plastic waste, action items kids can do, a bibliography, and additional resources on plastic pollution.
Books for a Better Earth are designed to inspire children to become active, knowledgeable participants in caring for the planet they live on.
A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection!
"A fascinating history of straws morphs into a call to action. The first two-thirds of Romito’s friendly text traces drinking tubes from the ancient Sumerian innovation of drinking beverages using a hollow reed, through many changes in materials and shapes over time, up to the development of the mass-produced plastic drinking straw we know today. Chen’s crisp digital illustrations rely on vignettes to showcase the variety of materials tried, the beverages they were designed for, and the people who used them. The straws themselves are front-and-center in the illustrations, giving readers an insightful glimpse into how something familiar has changed over centuries. After the introduction of the plastic straw in the 1960s, Romito moves the focus to the effect of single-use plastics on the environment and a gradual shift in public opinion, with straightforward text identifying alternative materials (and their limitations for medical usage) and emphasizing actions young people can take. An author’s note provides more context; a list of sources offers opportunities “to learn more about plastics and their effect on the environment.” - The Horn Book starred review. ★
"In direct, well-written prose, the author makes starkly clear how “single-use plastics,” such as straws, water bottles, and plastic bags, harm the Earth, oceans, and sea creatures and offers easy, sensible, responsible solutions that everyone can adopt to help the planet while not having to abandon straws entirely. The bold digital illustrations are eye-catching and inventive and maintain high reader interest. An important topic gets a very appealing treatment," - Kirkus
"Any kid who has been paying even a remote amount of attention on Earth Day knows that the plastic straw is quite literally the bane of our planet’s existence (among a host of other banes). This installment of the Books for a Better Earth series collection takes aim at the plastic straw but draws kids in with intriguing historical facts and a sense of generosity as opposed to lectures or condescension. The book opens with the earliest known drinking tubes, hollow reeds used by ancient Sumerians to avoid undrinkable elements of their barley-based brews. Readers are then taken to the 1800s, when rye stalks were being used to drink, and a disgusting mint julep led Marvin Stone to create a waxed paper straw; in 1937, the bendy neck was introduced, and the introduction of more durable plastic versions meant by the 1960s, plastic straws were everywhere. The presentation of the straw’s history is simple and direct, and it tracks the development as human ingenuity to meet a need rather than purposeful ignorance to an increasing planetary problem. Similarly, the book gives actionable items but also acknowledges that plastic straws are still useful and needed in certain settings. The digital art is somewhat flat and undynamic, but its directness matches the text and illustrates some of the larger concepts. An author’s note elaborates further on one-use plastic, and the list of provided sources will serve as a valuable starting point for young environmentalists." - The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
"A breezy overview of drinking straw history builds to a conservation-minded message about the need to reduce single-use plastics in this fascinating and accessible picture book, part of the new Books for a Better Earth series. Opening, Romito frames straws as tools responding to specific problems, beginning with reed drinking straws in ancient Sumer and tracing the development of paper and bendy iterations. The introduction of plastic varieties provides a segue to the way these objects—now ubiquitous “forever” trash—have generated a new problem. Romito offers a ready solution, pointing to the real-world activism of the child behind the “Be Straw Free” campaign while acknowledging situations in which plastic may be necessary. Chen’s digital renderings of people of varying skin tones using straws across time have an informative, static quality that emphasizes the historical dimensions of their subject; a single real-life photo of microplastic reinforces the need for action. An author’s note concludes. Ages 6–9." - Publishers Weekly
From reeds used by ancient Sumerians to bendy straws in World War II hospitals, people have changed the straw to fit their needs for 5000 years. Today however, this useful tool is contributing to the plastic problem polluting our oceans. Once again, the simple straw needs a reinvention.
With bright illustrations and well-researched text, children can read about the inventors behind the straw’s technological advancements, including primary sources like patents, as well as how disposable plastic harms the environment. See the newest solutions, from plastic straw alternatives to activism by real kids like Milo Cress who started the Be Straw Free campaign when he was 11 years old.
Learn about what kids can do to reduce plastic waste. The backmatter includes more information on the movement to stop plastic waste, action items kids can do, a bibliography, and additional resources on plastic pollution.
Books for a Better Earth are designed to inspire children to become active, knowledgeable participants in caring for the planet they live on.
A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection!
"A fascinating history of straws morphs into a call to action. The first two-thirds of Romito’s friendly text traces drinking tubes from the ancient Sumerian innovation of drinking beverages using a hollow reed, through many changes in materials and shapes over time, up to the development of the mass-produced plastic drinking straw we know today. Chen’s crisp digital illustrations rely on vignettes to showcase the variety of materials tried, the beverages they were designed for, and the people who used them. The straws themselves are front-and-center in the illustrations, giving readers an insightful glimpse into how something familiar has changed over centuries. After the introduction of the plastic straw in the 1960s, Romito moves the focus to the effect of single-use plastics on the environment and a gradual shift in public opinion, with straightforward text identifying alternative materials (and their limitations for medical usage) and emphasizing actions young people can take. An author’s note provides more context; a list of sources offers opportunities “to learn more about plastics and their effect on the environment.” - The Horn Book starred review. ★
"In direct, well-written prose, the author makes starkly clear how “single-use plastics,” such as straws, water bottles, and plastic bags, harm the Earth, oceans, and sea creatures and offers easy, sensible, responsible solutions that everyone can adopt to help the planet while not having to abandon straws entirely. The bold digital illustrations are eye-catching and inventive and maintain high reader interest. An important topic gets a very appealing treatment," - Kirkus
"Any kid who has been paying even a remote amount of attention on Earth Day knows that the plastic straw is quite literally the bane of our planet’s existence (among a host of other banes). This installment of the Books for a Better Earth series collection takes aim at the plastic straw but draws kids in with intriguing historical facts and a sense of generosity as opposed to lectures or condescension. The book opens with the earliest known drinking tubes, hollow reeds used by ancient Sumerians to avoid undrinkable elements of their barley-based brews. Readers are then taken to the 1800s, when rye stalks were being used to drink, and a disgusting mint julep led Marvin Stone to create a waxed paper straw; in 1937, the bendy neck was introduced, and the introduction of more durable plastic versions meant by the 1960s, plastic straws were everywhere. The presentation of the straw’s history is simple and direct, and it tracks the development as human ingenuity to meet a need rather than purposeful ignorance to an increasing planetary problem. Similarly, the book gives actionable items but also acknowledges that plastic straws are still useful and needed in certain settings. The digital art is somewhat flat and undynamic, but its directness matches the text and illustrates some of the larger concepts. An author’s note elaborates further on one-use plastic, and the list of provided sources will serve as a valuable starting point for young environmentalists." - The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
"A breezy overview of drinking straw history builds to a conservation-minded message about the need to reduce single-use plastics in this fascinating and accessible picture book, part of the new Books for a Better Earth series. Opening, Romito frames straws as tools responding to specific problems, beginning with reed drinking straws in ancient Sumer and tracing the development of paper and bendy iterations. The introduction of plastic varieties provides a segue to the way these objects—now ubiquitous “forever” trash—have generated a new problem. Romito offers a ready solution, pointing to the real-world activism of the child behind the “Be Straw Free” campaign while acknowledging situations in which plastic may be necessary. Chen’s digital renderings of people of varying skin tones using straws across time have an informative, static quality that emphasizes the historical dimensions of their subject; a single real-life photo of microplastic reinforces the need for action. An author’s note concludes. Ages 6–9." - Publishers Weekly