Una larga travesía hasta el agua: Basada en una historia real (A Long Walk to Water Spanish edition)

Por Linda Sue Park

This high-quality Spanish-language book can be enjoyed by fluent Spanish speakers as well as those learning the language, whether at home or in a classroom.

Una larga travesía hasta el agua, bestseller del New York Times, comienza como dos historias, que se van alternando, sobre dos niños de once años en Sudán, una niña en 2008 y un niño en 1985. La niña, Nya, va a buscar agua a un estanque que está a dos horas de caminata desde su hogar; cada día, hace dos viajes hasta el estanque. El niño, Salva, se convierte en uno de los "niños perdidos" de Sudán, refugiados que recorren a pie el continente africano en búsqueda de sus familias y de un lugar seguro en el que vivir. Soportando todas las adversidades –la soledad, el ataque de rebeldes armados, el contacto con leones y cocodrilos asesinos–, Salva es un superviviente, y su historia se cruza con la historia de Nya de una manera sorprendente y movilizadora.

The New York Times bestseller A Long Walk to Water begins as two stories, told in alternating sections, about two eleven-year-olds in Sudan, a girl in 2008 and a boy in 1985. The girl, Nya, is fetching water from a pond that is two hours’ walk from her home: she makes two trips to the pond every day. The boy, Salva, becomes one of the "lost boys" of Sudan, refugees who cover the African continent on foot as they search for their families and for a safe place to stay. Enduring every hardship from loneliness to attack by armed rebels to contact with killer lions and crocodiles, Salva is a survivor, and his story goes on to intersect with Nya’s in an astonishing and moving way.

• Idioma: Español
• Editorial: HarperCollins
• Fecha de lanzamiento: 24 nov 2020
• ISBN: 9780358410911

Linda Sue Park

Linda Sue Park, Newbery Medal winner for A Single Shard and #1 New York Times bestseller for A Long Walk to Water, is the renowned author of many books for young readers, including picture books, poetry, and historical and contemporary fiction. Born in Illinois, Ms. Park has also lived in California, England, and Ireland. She now lives in Western New York. Learn more at lindasuepark.com.

Vista previa del libro

Mapa de Sudán, África, que muestra las regiones del país y también las montañas, las colinas, los pantanos, las llanuras, los desiertos, los ríos, y la ruta de salva

Mapa de Sudán, 1985

Clarion Books

3 Park Avenue

New York, New York 10016

Derecho de autor del texto © 2010 de Linda Sue Park

Todos los derechos están reservados. Si desea información sobre la autorización para reproducir partes de este libro, escriba a [e-mail] o a Permissions, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company, 3 Park Avenue, 19th Floor, New York, New York 10016.

Clarion Books es un sello editorial de Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

hmhbooks.com

Imagen de atardecer © Corbis / Adaptación de fotografía cortesía de la Colección de Estudios Africanos de la Biblioteca Wells, Universidad de Indiana, Bloomington

Diseño de la cubierta de Christine Kettner

Ilustración del mapa de Kayley LeFaiver

Catálogo Biblioteca del Congreso. Fecha de publicación

Park, Linda Sue.

A long walk to water (Una larga travesía hasta el agua) basada en una historia real / escrita por Linda Sue Park.

p. cm.

Resumen: Cuando la guerra civil sudanesa llega a su aldea en 1985, Salva, de once años, se ve separado de su familia y debe cruzar el sur de Sudán, Etiopía y Kenia, junto a otros miembros de la tribu dinka, en busca de un refugio seguro. Novela basada en la vida de Salva Dut quien, luego de emigrar a Estados Unidos en 1996, comenzó un proyecto para construir pozos de agua en Sudán.

1. Dut, Salva, 1974?—Ficción juvenil. [1. Dut, Salva, 1974?—Ficción juvenil. 2. Refugiados—Ficción. 3. Supervivencia—Ficción. 4. Agua—Ficción. 5. Negros—Sudán—Ficción. 6. Sudán—Historia—Guerra Civil, 1983–2005—Ficción.] I. Título.

PZ7.P22115Lo 2009

[Fic]—dc22

2009048857

ISBN: 978-0-547-25127-1 tapa dura

ISBN: 978-0-547-57731-9 tapa blanda

ISBN: 978-0-358-26510-8 tapa dura en español

ISBN: 978-0-358-34489-6 tapa blanda en español

eISBN 978-0-358-41091-1

v1.1120

A Ben, nuevamente

Capítulo uno

Sur de Sudán, 2008

Ir era fácil.

Cuando iba, el gran recipiente de plástico contenía solamente aire. Alta para sus once años, Nya podía cambiar el asa de una mano a la otra, balancear el recipiente a un costado o sostenerlo con ambos brazos. Incluso podía arrastrarlo, golpeándolo contra el suelo y levantando una pequeña nube de polvo con cada paso.

Cuando iba, el recipiente era liviano. Hacía calor, el sol comenzaba a achicharrar el aire, aunque todavía faltaba mucho para el mediodía. Si no se detenía en el camino, le llevaría media mañana.

Calor. Tiempo. Espinas.

Sur de Sudán, 1985

Salva estaba sentado en el banco con las piernas cruzadas. Tenía la mirada hacia el frente, las manos juntas, la espalda bien recta. Prestaba atención al maestro con todo su cuerpo. Con todo... excepto con los ojos y el pensamiento.

Sus ojos no dejaban de mirar hacia la ventana, a través de la cual podía ver el camino. El camino a su casa. Solo faltaba un poquito más, unos pocos minutos más y estaría allí, caminando hacia su casa.

El maestro hablaba monótonamente sobre el idioma árabe. En casa, Salva hablaba el idioma de su tribu dinka, pero en la escuela aprendía árabe, el idioma oficial del go­bierno sudanés, que estaba lejos, hacia el norte. Salva, con sus once años, era un buen alumno. Ya sabía la lección, y por eso dejaba que sus pensamientos pasearan por el camino antes que su cuerpo.

Salva sabía muy bien que era afortunado de poder asistir a la escuela. No podía asistir todo el año porque durante la sequía su familia se iba de la aldea, pero durante la temporada de lluvias, podía ir caminando a la escuela, que estaba solo a media hora de su casa.

El padre de Salva era un hombre exitoso. Era dueño de muchas cabezas de ganado y trabajaba como juez de la aldea, una posición respetada y honorable. Salva tenía tres hermanos y dos hermanas. Cuando los varones tenían unos diez años, eran enviados a la escuela. Los hermanos mayores de Salva, Ariik y Ring, habían ido a la escuela antes que él; el año pasado, le había llegado el turno a Salva. Sus dos hermanas, Akit y Agnath, no iban a la escuela. Como las otras niñas de la aldea, se quedaban en la casa y aprendían de la madre cómo ocuparse de los quehaceres.

La mayor parte del tiempo, Salva estaba contento porque podía ir a la escuela, pero a veces deseaba estar otra vez en casa, arreando el ganado.

Él y sus hermanos, junto con los hijos de las otras esposas de su padre, caminaban con los animales hasta los pozos de agua, donde había buenos pastos. Sus responsabilidades dependían de sus edades. Kuol, el hermano más pequeño de Salva, se ocupaba solamente de una vaca; al igual que habían hecho antes sus hermanos, cada año tendría a su cargo más vacas. Antes de comenzar la escuela, Salva había ayudado a cuidar a todo el ganado, y también a su hermano menor.

Los niños debían vigilar las vacas, pero las vacas, en realidad, no necesitaban demasiado cuidado. Eso les dejaba mucho tiempo para jugar.

Salva y los demás niños hacían vacas de barro. Cuantas más vacas hacías, más rico eras. Pero debían ser animales bonitos, saludables. Llevaba tiempo lograr que una masa de barro se convirtiera en una buena vaca. Los niños competían entre sí para ver quién hacía más y mejores vacas.

Otras veces, practicaban con sus arcos y flechas, cazando pequeños animales o pájaros. Todavía no eran muy buenos con eso, pero cada tanto tenían suerte.

Esos eran los mejores días. Cuando uno lograba matar una ardilla o un conejo, una gallina de Guinea o un urogallo, se suspendía ese juego infantil que carecía de un objetivo específico. De repente, había mucho trabajo por hacer.

Algunos juntaban madera para preparar el fuego. Otros ayudaban a limpiar y a preparar al animal. Luego lo asaban sobre el fuego.

Nada de esto se hacía sin provocar bullicio. Salva tenía su propia opinión sobre cómo preparar el fuego y cuánto tiempo se debe cocinar la carne; los otros, también.

El fuego debe ser más grande.

No durará lo suficiente. Necesitamos más madera.

No. Ya es lo suficientemente grande.

Rápido, ¡gíralo antes de que se arruine!.

El jugo de la carne goteaba y chisporroteaba. Un aroma delicioso llenaba el aire.

Al final, ya no podían esperar ni un segundo más. Solo alcanzaba para que cada niño comiera unos pocos bocados, pero ¡qué deliciosos eran esos bocados!

---

Salva tragó y volvió la mirada hacia su maestro. Deseaba no haber recordado esos momentos porque los recuerdos le provocaron hambre... Leche. Cuando llegara a casa, tomaría un bol de leche fresca, que mantendría su barriga llena hasta la cena.

Podía imaginar cada detalle de lo que ocurriría. Su madre suspendería su tarea de moler la comida e iría al otro lado de la

Comentarios para Una larga travesía hasta el agua

[henrog-315853 · Calificación: 5 de 5 estrellas]

This is the true story of Salva Dut. The civil war in Sudan reached Salva's village in 1985 when he was 11 years old. He was forced to flee and became separated from his family. All alone, he must walk with other refugees through southern Sudan, Ethiopia, and Kenya to finally end up many years later in the U.S. The story details his walk through the desert and many dangers and disappointments that happened during his journey. He is one of the Lost Boys of the Sudan. At the same time, the book highlights the life of 11 year old Nya in 2008. How these two lives come together is awesome. I was amazed to learn the way people live and the difficulties they must endure in my lifetime. Exellent book.

[marshapetry · Calificación: 4 de 5 estrellas]

Darn, my review got deleted! Anyway, I'll try to remember... : good stories from Africa... If you like human interest stories this should be enjoyable. Not really my thing but, even so, I enjoyed this book. Excellent narrator.

[edutechteacher · Calificación: 4 de 5 estrellas]

An amazing and powerful story. My tissue box is nearby.

[addunn3 · Calificación: 4 de 5 estrellas]

A boy describes his experience walking through central Africa in search of safety.

[djlunchlady91404 · Calificación: 4 de 5 estrellas]

Many times when you have 2 stories going back and forth through a book it is quite difficult to tell the difference between the two but in this book that is not the case Nya and Salva's stories are fit together perfectly. The story primarily takes place in Sudan from the mid 80's to the early 00's following the life of Salva, A lost boy from Sudan. A long walk to water is a story of strength,hope and perseverance. I truly enjoyed it and could see myself recommending this book to others.

[kimkimpton · Calificación: 5 de 5 estrellas]

This is a great book for middle school- maybe even older elementary students if they are mature. There is no objectionable language and the violence is not at all graphic. Yet, it is a heartwarming true story that comes together nicely in the end. Warning...you will want to donate money to Water for South Sudan when you are done reading this.

[mcorbink · Calificación: 5 de 5 estrellas]

Amazing story of a young boy, one of the "Lost Boys" during the time of the Sudanese 2nd Civil War. It is the children's version of a book I read about the same topic. Awe inspiring, paralleled by the second story running through the book of the water problem in the Sudan and how young children had to walk miles a day to fetch a container of water, in this case, twice a day. I read this book in a morning.

[mckaori · Calificación: 5 de 5 estrellas]

A compelling story line that opens your eyes to immensity of the challenges faced by those who become refugees and should motivate us to change things. How do you change things, the story line covers that too.

[lissabeth21 · Calificación: 4 de 5 estrellas]

What an incredibly important book!!! Read it! Read it now! It's less than 120 pages... you can read it in a day, but it may change your life forever!

[benuathanasia · Calificación: 5 de 5 estrellas]

Fascinating and heartbreaking. This should be considered a must-read.

[tjsjohanna_1 · Calificación: 4 de 5 estrellas]

At first I didn't really like the two different stories going on, but as the book neared the end, I really appreciated how the two stories come together and I loved the message from Salva at the end.

[erika.d · Calificación: 5 de 5 estrellas]

This is a great story. It was emotional, sad, shocking, uplifting, inspiring and well written. It tells the story of one of Sudan's Lost Boys. We follow his story from age 11 to present day. There is another character as well that ties in nicely with the boy, Salva's story. The ending was a warming surprise. I am so glad I read this book. Couldn't put it down so I read it in one day. I highly recommend this title.

[heatherlinc · Calificación: 2 de 5 estrellas]

This book was okay, but not a riveting read. While Nya's story only covered a couple of years, Salva's spanned over twenty and, being such a short novel, his story felt rushed and shallow. I liked how the two characters' paths intersected at the end, but for me the book lacked emotional depth and the story fell flat. Overall, disappointing.

[kamgeb · Calificación: 4 de 5 estrellas]

I very fast read. A very basic book about the Lost Boys and the story behind them. None of the characters were developed very well. But it was interesting plot.

[lucybrown_1 · Calificación: 3 de 5 estrellas]

My teammate is using this book in her social studies class this year. Since I am the Language Arts teacher for the team, she asked me to read it so that I might give her some tips on how to approach it. And so I have done.

Park's novel presents one young man's moving odyssey from war torn Sudan to the USA, and then back again. As one of the Lost Boys, Salva made the harrowing journey through southern Sudan to Ethiopia then later to Kenya. His story is told along side of a ficitional one about a young girl named Nya. Nya is a member of a tribe that is frequently at war with the Dinka, Salva's group over water rights. Nya spends most of her day walking to a pond for water. Their seemingly parallel stories address the tragedies of war, drought, and disease in Sudan in a manner that is accessible to younger readers.

[auj_3 · Calificación: 5 de 5 estrellas]

Short book, once I started reading it I did not put it down until finished. Amazing true story! Makes me thankful for the many blessings I have that I take for granted.

[engpunk77 · Calificación: 4 de 5 estrellas]

Required reading for all 7th graders starting next year, according to the Common Core Curriculum, and I'm thrilled that this was the choice. Not a phenomenal book, not rich in language and imagery, but the story is amazing and true. I love the author's chosen format, which you'll appreciate by the time you finish the novel. What I take from this reading experience is a frightful image that gives me an understanding of one risk of life on the Nile, a harrowing image of a real historical incident in Ethiopia that astounded me (something I can't believe happened and that I had not already known of it), the ability to identify Sudan, Kenya, and Ethiopia on the map, a feeling of helplessness about the refugee camp situation, and a hope that all painful experiences can lead to some "good."

[lilibrarian · Calificación: 4 de 5 estrellas]

During the war in Sudan in the 1980's an 11-year-old boy is separated from his family and joins a group of refugees walking across the desert to Ethiopia. Intertwined with his story is that of a young girl in a South Sudan village in 2008. Based on a true story.

[amrahmn · Calificación: 5 de 5 estrellas]

I really enjoyed the 2 interwoven stories of Nya, a Nuer girl and her daily 8 hour quest for water and that of the "lost boy", Salva as his story of fleeing his Dinka village in South Sudan. Salva's story is more detailed and thus, more compelling. I felt the fear and loss as Salva traveled east to the first refugee camp and then a few years later as he traveled to the second before finally coming to the US. I really enjoyed the linking of the two stories and the fact that Nya and Salva were from different tribes. I would use this book for study of "Lost Boys", refugees, and the importance of clean water everywhere in the world.

[tpollack-1 · Calificación: 2 de 5 estrellas]

This book is not really a good crossover to the adult fiction world. It's written in fairly basic language. That's not to discount the serious themes; the book is simply, well, simple.

[nataliesw · Calificación: 4 de 5 estrellas]

Very moving.

[jilldavis-1 · Calificación: 5 de 5 estrellas]

Engaging ture story paralleled with a fictin narrative that tells the details of a young boy to young man's heartbreaking journey and ultimate survial; uplifting with possitive messages that are not politically tinged; gives young readers a starting point for participating in a global cause

[mtome_48 · Calificación: 5 de 5 estrellas]

Inspiring story! Loved the way we feel we are there with Salva every step of the journey.

[lindsay_w_2 · Calificación: 4 de 5 estrellas]

Based on the real-life experience of one of Sudan’s Lost Boys, Park tells the harrowing story of Salva Dut who, in 1985 at only 11 years old, escaped soldiers in Sudan, and spent ten years in refugee camps in Ethiopia and Kenya. Dut credits his sense of hope and perseverance for keeping him alive all those years and for giving him the courage to carry on until he was sent to a family in America. Dut returned to Sudan in the mid 2000s, to give back to his homeland in the form of “Water for South Sudan” a non-profit organization that provides wells for Sudanese villages. One of these villages is the setting for the second narrative in this novel in which a young girl’s life is changed by the well provided by Dut’s organization.

[jmbridger_1 · Calificación: 4 de 5 estrellas]

Based on a true story, author Linda Sue Park follows the life of a young boy from Sudan who is forced to flee from his home and family when rebels attack. This is a story of struggle, persistence, and determination. Written in parallel, is the story a young girl from Sudan who must travel a great distance daily to collect water from an ever-diminishing pond.

[jennb15 · Calificación: 5 de 5 estrellas]

A beautifully written story with two separate narratives united by a common theme that hard times can be overcome by taking life one step at a time.

[ewyatt_16 · Calificación: 4 de 5 estrellas]

An accessible, powerful book about Salva Dut's journey as a Lost Boy, displaced when civil war came to his village in 1985. Separated from his family, Salva walks and walks across the country to Ethiopia to find safety and suffers plenty. Salva's story and the story of a girl living in South Sudan now are intermingled. Salva's survival and decision to start a nonprofit to bring clean water to those in the Sudan brings the two stories together.

[yona-414000 · Calificación: 5 de 5 estrellas]

This comment is no more spoilery than the synopsis for the book. But if you haven't read the synopsis yet then skip this comment AND the synopsis and just read the book first. I consider myself lucky to have started the book without having a clue as to a certain aspect of it's content.

As an author's rendition of the true personal account of Salva Dut this easily made it to four stars for me. The fifth star comes from the way in which Ms. Park developed the alternating account of Nya and the masterful way in which she brought the two accounts together, especially toward the conclusion of the book. It's not that the convergence of the two accounts was so surprising but the pace and manner in which they were brought together was, for me, very powerful.

[lindap69 · Calificación: 5 de 5 estrellas]

I am a big fan of Linda Sue Park and I loved this book. Park does an amazing job of telling story through the ordinary events and yet making it so powerful.

[sullywriter_1 · Calificación: 4 de 5 estrellas]

Surprisingly slim but poignant story based upon the true experiences of a "lost boy" of Sudan.