Authors Note

             Many people think they can't accomplish their goals in life because they don't have enough courage and confidence because of where they may come from. There are so many gifted people out there that are not being seen by the world because of their lack of dedication and hard work to achieve what they want.  One of the problems of why people are not staying focused is because they may have so many obstacles keeping them from following their dreams. I feel that it would be so much better if those that had dreams and goals were not judged by others just because of where they're from or what they looked like. In a biography about Jay-Z from Rolling Stone the author explains about the not so nice place of where he came from. Jay-Z grew up in the Marcy housing projects, and his father walked out on his mother as a little boy. He then made his money on the streets by selling crack. After, Jay-Z started doing what he does best and rapped one of his very first verses with rapper Jaz-O and from there it got better and better for Jay-Z. Also another man that can be a mentor for this statement is president Barack Obama. Obama didn't have a relationship with his father as a child because his father was attending Harvard at the time, then when Obama was two his parents got divorced. Obama didn't really have much of an experience with his mother because at the age of ten he was sent to live with his maternal grandparents. Although Barack's childhood wasn't the best he still was able  to accomplish amazing things like Harvard, governor, and the first black president. My research has led to my moral which is, it doesn't matter where you came from if you work hard you can still get to where you want. Most of my research is about famous people, so it is easy to get information about them. With their information in my head I was able to come up with a lesson.

           I feel that many people can relate to this issue including me. I want to grow up to be a professional soccer player and play on a great team but where I'm from creates hurdles blocking my dream. In the soccer world all the great teams and players are in Europe, and as for the United States our league is not considered to be any where near the same level of greatness as European leagues. American players rarely get bought by European teams, but I truly do believe that if I work hard I can be a soccer player. In my illustrations I have chosen that the rabbit comes from unfortunate surroundings. As the story goes on different animals start making fun of the rabbit as well as some who help him. The most important illustration is the dish he makes that everybody loves.

          I hope my picture book can give people hope and something to believe in and work toward. I want to encourage people to help each others dreams . I suggest that for all the people who believe that where they're from limits them and defines who they are should forget that and do what it takes to get to where you want to be. I also suggest that people should support each others dreams. 

Critical Thinking Question: How does this text deal with individuals and groups? Are the people acting alone and in competition with one another, or does the text help us imagine people working together?

“A long walk to water” by Linda Sue Park definitely shows the relationship

between individuals and groups. Throughout the book one of the main characters, Salva goes through times when he is alone because he was left behind by multiple groups. After reading a good chunk of the book it is clear to see that A long walk to water shows how people may work together or abandon each other.

An example in the book that demonstrates how groups of people of which you don’t know too well can be so helpful is on page 9. After walking around by himself for hours he finally sees people he knows, “Salva wandered around until he heard the words ‘Loun-Ariik! The village of Loun-Ariik, here!’ Relief flooded through him. That was his village! He hurried toward the sound of the voice. A dozen or so people stood in a loose group at the side of the road. Salva scanned their faces. There was no one from his family. He recognized a few people a women with a baby, two men, a teenage girl-but no one he knew well. Still, it was comforting to see them.” This scene shows how helpful it can be to be with a group even though you don’t quite know them. If I was in Salva’s situation I would too be very happy to see people that I’ve seen in my neighborhood.  

The author continues to illustrate what it is like to be in a group when the old woman tells Salva she will be leaving him on page 18. “On the fourth day, the old woman told him that she was leaving. ‘you  have seen that the pond is only a puddle now. Winter is coming, and the dry season. And this fighting.’ She nodded her head in the direction of the noise. ‘I will go to a different village near water. You cannot stay with me any longer.’ Salva stared at her as panic rose inside him. Why can’t I go with her? The woman spoke again before he could ask aloud. ‘The soldiers will leave me alone, an old woman on her own. It would be more dangerous for me to travel with you.” This is a great example of the different perspectives on being in a group. Again I agree with Salva’s feelings, being a male myself I would find it frustrating that I could be a target in a war because of my gender.

As the book goes on Salva finds a new group, yet again being with other people helped when a person had aided Salva and the rest of the group on page 24. “Buksa stopped abruptly in front of a very large tree. ‘yes!’ he said. ‘now go call the others!’ By now Salva had caught the feeling excitement. ‘But what shall I tell them?’ ‘The bird. The one I was listening to. He led me right here’. Buksa’s smile was even bigger now. ‘You see that?’ He pointed up at the branches of the tree. ‘Beehive. A fine, large one.’ ‘Honey! This night, we feast!” This portrays the advantages of being in a group. Salva must be delighted that Buksa found food and that he has the help of his group to survive during the war.

When Salva and his group along with his uncle are walking through villages with no money looking for food, being in a group comes to the rescue again shown on page 47. “None of the travelers had money or anything of value to trade, so they had to beg for food. The exception was uncle: The fishermen gave him food without having to be asked. Salva could not tell if this was because Uncle seemed to be the leader of the group or because they were afraid of his gun.” This again suggests that this book shows how it is like to be in a group. Salva must also be joyous that being in a group got him food again. I also have the same question as Salva, why did the villagers give Uncle their food?