One School, One Book: A Long Walk to Water

We see a great opportunity to use Linda Sue Park’s New York Times Best seller, A Long Walk to Water for a school-wide reading event, One School, One Book.

According to Read To Them, an American organization that promotes children's literacy, One School, One Book is a program designed to create a shared reading experience within a school community. Each grade level across the school will participate in voluntary activities to promote and enrich the shared reading experience.

The goals for ASD's One School, One Book event are to celebrate literacy, build community, promote our Visiting Author Program, and foster global awareness.

ASD students in Grades 3 through 12, staff and parents are encouraged to read this book in anticipation of Linda Sue Park’s visit. We plan to offer a range of opportunities to allow community members to engage in discussion about this powerful story.

A summary of the book from our library catalog: Set in 1985, the Sudanese civil war reaches the village of eleven-year-old Salva who becomes separated from his family and must walk with other Dinka tribe members through southern Sudan, Ethiopia, and Kenya in search of safe haven. Based on the life of Salva Dut, who, after emigrating to America in 1996, began a project to dig water wells in Sudan.

The libraries will have multiple copies of A Long Walk to Water for check out and for sale next school year. Alternatively, community members can pick up their own copy over the summer. Stayed tuned for more information on how to participate in our One Book, One School event.

Click here to watch Linda Sue Park’s book trailer about A Long Walk to Water.