Last Straw,The

(Hardback)

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Description

An illustrated children's story about an animated plastic straw, Sippy, whose encounters with animals affected by plastic trash teaches young readers about the problems of plastic. Meet Sippy the plastic straw! Once celebrated and loved by all, now Sippy is used up, discarded, and floating in a puddle. Sad and confused, Sippy is blown around on a long journey. Sippy, a plastic straw who was once so useful, one day gets thrown out and blown into the sea. Along his journey he meets a number of animals, each one struggling with some form of trash. There is the raccoon with a plastic six-pack ring around her neck, and the sea bird whose nest is made entirely of plastics. Sippy meets turtles who think grocery bags are food, and a hermit crab forced to live in a toothpaste cap. Then Sippy is eaten by a whale! This colorful story teaches children how to be champions of the environment, as well as the importance of reducing our use of plastics and recycling even the smallest plastic items.

Reviews

"A powerful lesson wrapped in endless charm, Zoe Matthiessens The Last Straw is beautifully conceived, written, and illustrated. You can read it to rapt children or read it alone in your den. Its that good, that important."
RONHAUGE, Emmy-winning television writer for The Simpsons and Seinfeld

"BRAVO for Sippy, the straw who rails against the very real evils of plastic pollution in this irresistible picture book! Zoe Matthiessen's appealing art, funny rhymes, and essential message are all right on target. The Last Straw will inspire even the littlest of readers to help stem the tide of plastic trash and save the lives of the millions of animals literally caught up in our toxic mess."
SY MONTGOMERY, naturalist and author of The Soul of an Octopus: A Surprising Exploration into the Wonder of Consciousness,finalist for the 2015 National Book Award

"The Last Straw is a lovely booka sweet eco-tale rendered in obsessive, passionate detail. It could signal a new genre of kids books, the environmental fairy tale."
BARRY BLITT, illustrator and recipient of the 2020 Pulitzer Prize

"This book is a triumpha luminous, witty story that is easy to grasp and discuss with our kids and everyone else. A brave, brainy, strong moral statement and stunningly beautiful! An instant classic."
STEVE BRODNER, independent illustrator, journalist, and educator

"For several years now Ive been a fan of Zoe Matthiessens environmental drawings and hermastery of pen and ink. I hope this book motivates others to care for our planet a little bit more.
TIM OBRIEN, illustrator, educator, and president of the Society of Illustrators

"I recommend The Last Straw to people of all ages. Through her illustration and verse, Matthiessen gets us to look directly at what were doing when we throw away plastic, through the endearing character of Sippy the plastic straw and all the animals we encounter. Please read this book, give a copy to someone you know, and take a cue from Sippy on the last page, 'What can you and your family do to use less plastic' There are some great tips there which are not difficult to implement."
Brad Mehldau, jazz pianist, composer, and arranger

"Kidsor really anybodyinterested in the environmentwill enjoy The Last Straw'switty words and luscious art. Zoe Matthiessen is a top talent, truly one-of-a kind."
Michael Gerber, editor & publisher ofThe American Bystander

Author Bio

ZOE MATTHIESSEN is a self taught artist living in New Haven, CT. She was recently accepted into the Society of Illustrators 60th Annual & Exhibition and chosen in American Illustration 37. She has contributed to both The American Bystander and to The Nation, has produced work for The Environmental Defense Fund, and has held her weekly spot "Ecocide" in New Haven Independent for the past year. Selected as one of the "Top Ten Emerging Artists of 2018" by Art New England Magazine, her work also made cover of the March/April issue of the print publication. Matthiessen is currently organizing an environmental activist group, "The Pick-Up Artists," which will bring artists together to target heavily littered outdoor locations for cleanup and art creation. Deeply concerned with political and environmental issues, she remains hopeful despite all evidence to the contrary, creating art to raise awareness and to effect change.