Sharing Our Love for Sea Turtles & the Environment with One Turtle's Last Straw

Thanks to Penguin Random House for providing product for review. All thoughts are my own. This post contains affiliate links. Mommy's Block Party may make a small commission on purchases made through links in this post.

One of the best ways to pass the time during summer break with kids is to get them reading. We aim to spend at least an hour reading every day. Sometimes we break that time up, and others, we just have hour-long reading time and down time. Either way, my kids love reading, which makes my heart so happy. There's hardly a struggle to prevent reading loss during the break from school. One of the ways I keep my kids reading is by introducing new books to them. We love purchasing books, checking out books that we receive to review through MBP, and of course, visiting our local library. We're extra lucky because Grandma Gretchen works at the library and always brings home cool books.

We recently received a fun, colorful, education book to celebrate World Sea Turtle Day, which took place on June 16th. One Turtle's Last Straw by Elisa Boxer, illustrated by Marta Álvarez Miguéns (Crown Books for Young Readers | On sale May 10, 2022 | Ages 4–8) tells the inspiring true story of how one small turtle and kids all over the country sparked an environmental movement.

B's thoughts:

I really liked the message of the book- about how a kid threw away a plastic straw, and how that impacts animals and marine life. I learned not to throw away plastic... that we need to recycle it properly.

Bean's thoughts:

I liked the part where the little girl says that she will skip the straw. She realizes she doesn't need the straw- she noticed from a video that she shouldn't use it because it's bad to just throw away plastic. You need to recycle it.

Slurp! A boy finishes his drink and tosses it in the trash, straw and all. He moves on without another thought. In the waters off Costa Rica, scientists spot an endangered sea turtle and pull him aboard to study him. But he has something stuck in his nose. A barnacle? A stick? No . . . it’s a plastic drinking straw!

Based on the viral video that set a movement in motion, this heart-wrenching story of one turtle’s rescue reminds readers that even just one straw can hurt our ocean life—and that the smallest demand for change can grow into something big!

The book includes an afterword by one of the marine conservation biologists featured in the story, as well as profiles of real kids who were inspired by the video to create change in their communities.

About the author

ELISA BOXER is a Maine-based, Emmy-winning journalist and columnist whose writing has appeared in publications including the New York Times, Inc., and Fast Company. Having worked in newspaper, magazine, and television journalism, Elisa is thrilled to bring her reporting and storytelling skills to the world of children’s literature. She is the author of A Seat at the Table: The Nancy Pelosi Story and The Voice That Won the Vote: How One Woman’s Words Made History. Learn more at elisaboxer.com.

About the illustrator

MARTA ÁLVAREZ MIGUÉNS is an author and children’s book illustrator living in A Coruña, Spain. In 2007, her artwork was selected and exhibited at the Bratislava Biennial of Illustration. She illustrated Shark Lady: The True Story of How Eugenie Clark Became the Ocean’s Most Fearless Scientist, which was named one of the Best Children’s Books of the Year by Parents Magazine and won the Blue Spruce Award. She also painted the funny and charming illustrations for What Is Poo?, which won the Silver Award at the Junior Design Awards. Visit her at martalvarez.com.

Want it? Get it!

Grab your own hard copy of One Turtle's Last Straw on Amazon.

Special thanks to our friends at Penguin Random House for allowing us to share about this wonderful and informative book! This is a great summertime read- perfect for beach trips! We hope you'll grab a copy and enjoy this with your kiddos!

Happy reading & happy summer!