Nya's Long Walk

June 3, 2019
Newbery Medalist Park takes a character from her 2010 novel, A Long Walk to Water, and tells her story in a new format. Nya, a South Sudanese girl, must fetch water for her family from a distant well. Coretta Scott King Award–winner Pinkney paints Nya steadying her can with one hand and reaching for her younger sister Akeer with the other. On the way home, Akeer collapses, ill, and Nya must carry both her sibling and their water “at least half a morning’s walk” back home. Pinkney follows their intense journey across broad spreads, tracing the scrabbly vegetation with loose lines and the sand with swirls of sepia and gold. When she finally makes it home, Nya discovers that her ordeal isn’t over, and she must accompany Mama and Akeer to a clinic a couple of days’ walk away. In the end, the earlier book’s real-life hero, Salva Dut, drills a well for Nya’s community, lessening the occurrence of waterborne disease. With compassion, the creators present younger readers with a portrait of a life in which determination is needed just to get enough clean water to drink, a reality for many villagers in South Sudan. Ages 4–7.

July 15, 2019
Calamity strikes when two sisters take a trek outside of their village in South Sudan to fetch water in this picture-book adaptation of the bestselling A Long Walk to Water (2010). Nya, the elder, notices that Akeer is becoming uncharacteristically tearful, then listless. On the titular long walk back, Nya realizes her sister is gravely ill and must struggle to carry both Akeer and the water, going step by step, landmark by landmark. When they return, Nya learns that Akeer must be taken to the clinic, a journey of two to three days on foot, because she "has the sickness that comes from drinking dirty water." Exhausted but determined, Nya sets off on the journey with her mother and sister--and that is where the story ends. The three pages that follow combine the fictional story of Nya and Akeer with the true story of Salva Dut and his organization, Water for South Sudan. It explains what's happened to Akeer and that clean-water wells eventually come to Nya's village, but it is not an adequate conclusion for this story that began so full of compassion, sacrifice, and love. Curious readers will wonder what the journey was like for the mother and her daughters and what Akeer felt as she recovered, but that is left to their imaginations. Pinkney's swirling brush strokes, dominated by brown, terra cotta, and gold, indicate the desert landscape, focusing on the children's tired, stoic faces. Compelling characters in a story that's too short for them. (Picture book. 5-8)

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September 1, 2019

Gr 1-4-Nya lives in a village in South Sudan without easy access to clean water. With her younger sister Akeer, she sets out on the long trek to the water hole. Akeer is unusually slow and out of temper. As Nya finally reaches the water, she realizes that her sister is frighteningly ill. Far from the village, Nya has no choice but to carry both the water and her sister to find help. The weight is a burden Nya can barely manage, but she fights through the fatigue with small goals-making it to a thorn bush and then a stump-anything to keep herself going. Nya demonstrates extraordinary strength and perseverance in the face of daunting challenges. The story concludes with Nya's family setting off in search of medical attention, which may feel like a cliff-hanger to some readers. However, an epilogue assures young readers of Akeer's recovery while also explaining the humanitarian efforts of a nonprofit organization called Water for South Sudan. This isn't the first time Nya's experiences have been put to the page. She was a feature character in the author's middle grade novel A Long Walk to Water. As this new picture book companion lacks the depth of detail included in the novel, younger children may benefit from additional discussion regarding the geography, culture, and socioeconomic conditions of South Sudan. Regardless, many children will realize (likely for the first time) that not all children have access to such basic necessities as clean drinking water. The illustrations beautifully capture life in a small South Sudanese village and earth-toned swirls create a lovely impression of dust and heat. VERDICT A thought-provoking story to inspire empathy and social consciousness.-Alyssa Annico, Youngstown State University, OH

Copyright 2019 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2019
Grades 1-3 It's a typical day for Nya and her little sister, Akeer, as they walk half a morning to get water from the water hole. When Akeer suddenly lacks her usual spunk, dragging her feet and complaining of being tired, Nya realizes that her sister is ill. One painful step at a time, Nya carries both Akeer and their water the long distance home. Newbery medalist Park returns to the theme of her acclaimed novel A Long Walk to Water (2010), bringing a tender sensibility to this blend of fiction and reality that brings home the visceral fragility of living without access to fresh, clean water. Pinkney's impressionistic swirls add levity without compromising the gravity of lives like Nya's. At the end, the tale shifts to an expository account of the work of Salva Dut, who heads the Water for South Sudan organization. Young readers will be moved to wonder more about waterborne illnesses, water scarcity, and Salva Dut's work that has radically changed the lives of Sudanese girls and women.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)