Nya’s Long Walk: A Step At A Time, written by Linda Sue Park, reviewed by Klaudia Janek

Student Reviewer: Dhara J.
Summary: The book is about a girl named Nya who lives in a village in South Sudan. One day when Nya and her sister Akeer walk to get water from the remote water hole far away from their village, Akeer becomes too weak to continue to walk back home. Nya must carry Akeer and the water home, one step at a time. This book teaches children about perseverance, strength, commitment, and bravery. It also teaches them about global issues, specifically the issue of access to clean water in South Sudan.

Straight Talk for Librarians: I enjoyed this book and its illustrations. I believe this book can teach children valuable life lessons as well as give them knowledge on global issues. It is simple to read, at the same time has a decent variety of vocabulary, which can better children’s reading and speaking skills. Important elements are used. For example, foreshadow is used with the truck which was mistaken for an antelope, this truck coming back at the end of the story. The tone conveys emotions of strength, worry, and happiness. The character Nya may be relatable to many children with younger siblings who have a responsibility to their parents and their siblings to look after them. It also relates in terms of hardships that children face in life, all over the world. The illustrations are beautiful, they’re abstract, stylized, and simply understood by children. Loose paint brush strokes are used to create the background. The book is very colorful, which helps convey the themes. Strokes of green conveys sickness and fatigue, while pink conveys family, home, strength and love. Overall, I highly recommend this book because of its beautiful illustrations, messages, and global issue awareness for children around the world. It would be beneficial in classrooms and libraries because of its messages and potential for children to learn.