Product Description

Kondi is determined to make a galimoto -- a toy vehicle made of wires. His brother laughs at the idea, but all day Kondi goes about gathering up the wire he needs. By nightfall, his wonderful galimoto is ready for the village children to play with in the light of the moon.

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #139862 in Books
• Published on: 1991-08-21
• Released on: 1991-08-21
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 32 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780688109912
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

From Publishers Weekly
An African boy collects scraps of wire to make a galimoto --a toy vehicle. In PW 's words, "Williams's gentle text and Stock's soft watercolors capture the essence of life in a small African village. Children . . . will warm to this tale of a boy's persistence and not-so-small accomplishment." Ages 4-8.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal
Grade 1-3-- When seven-year-old Kondi decides to fashion a galimoto (a generic term for various push-toys made from wires and sticks), his older brother is convinced that a small boy should not undertake such a difficult project. Besides, the elder brother reminds him, Kondi does not have enough wire to make a toy. Readers follow the clever boy through his small African village on his quest to obtain the precious material from adults and other children through persuasion and old-fashioned know-how. Although he encounters many obstacles in his search, Kondi's persistence is rewarded. Stock's bright watercolor illustrations energize this quiet tale. Readers will cheer Kondi as he sees his goal realized. A good read-aloud choice. --Denia Lewis Hester, Dewey School, Evanston, IL
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author
When Karen Lynn Williams was growing up in New Haven, Connecticut, her dream was to become the youngest novelist ever. At the age of ten, she formed a writing group with some of her friends. They would lounge around on pillows and in old stuffed chairs in her basement and write for hours. When Karen hadn't produced the hoped-for novel by the age of twelve, she gave up on her dream of early publication, but not on writing. Although it took longer than she initially thought it would, eventually Karen became the award-winning author of such books as Baseball and Butterflies (a novel) and Galimoto and Painted Dreams, both picture books illustrated by Catherine Stock.

Karen Lynn Williams lives with her husband, Steven, and their children, Peter, Christopher, Rachel, and Jonathan, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

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Customer Reviews

Elementary art teacher and students love this book.
Galimoto provides a unique opportunity for teachers to link reading, cultural understanding and visual art. Young students enjoy trying to discover the meaning of "galimoto" while they hear the story as it is read aloud. The illustrations help them to see the similarities in the everyday lives of children and people everywhere. All people make art! Young children can use pipe cleaners to make their own "galimotos" after they learn the meaning from the story. The story and illustrations held the interest of my students and encouraged them toward future learning through reading and making art.

Celebrates the resourceful spirit of African children
As I prepared to visit Zambia to learn how communities are coping with the HIV/AIDS pandemic, I tried to help the children of our church understand what life is like in Africa. "You mean they are so poor nobody buys them toys?" Galimoto not only gives a realistic picture of life in a small African village, it celebrates the resourceful spirit of African children. Our young people were filled with wonder when I brought home a galimoto that I bought on a roadside in Zambia. They were eager to try their hand at creating their own galimotos.

Great book for African culture!
I just attended a talk by a Peace Corps volunteer who spoke about how children in Ghana were resourceful about creating toys to play with. This book illlustrates that point. I hope that my students from Africa will enjoy this book.