A Long Walk to Water: Based on a True Story

by Linda Sue Park

he were older and stronger, would he have given water to those men? Or would he, like most of the group, have kept his water for himself?

What was it Uncle had said during that first terrible day in the desert? “Do you see that group of bushes? You need only to walk as far as those bushes. . . .” Uncle had helped him get through the desert that way, bit by bit, one step at a time. Perhaps . . . perhaps Salva could get through life at the camp in the same way. I need only to get through the rest of this day, he told himself. This day and no other.

Whenever he found himself losing hope, Salva would take a deep breath and think of his uncle’s words. A step at a time. One problem at a time—just figure out this one problem. Day by day, solving one problem at a time, Salva moved toward his goal.