Galimoto - International Literature

Galimoto is written by Karen Lynn Williams and is illustrated by Catherine Stock. This story takes place in Malawi, Africa. "Galimoto" means car and Kondi, the main character, makes his galimoto out of old wires. He trades his knife to his friend Gift for a couple wires. He finds the rest around his village. He gets some from his uncle, a few at the mill that grinds maize, and some from behind the bicycle repair shop. The women at the mill yell at him because they have been waiting all day to have their chance at the mill and they think he is cutting line. The worker at the bicycle repair shop thinks he is stealing and calls the police until they see that he just wants wire. When he finally has enough wire, he works all afternoon to make his galimoto into a pickup. When it is finished, Kondi feels very proud of himself and has fun playing with his galimoto.

The pictures in this book show a lot about where Kondi is from. He does not have a lot of money or any toys. He lives in a small hut and culture is very different from American culture. As a class we could discuss these differences and the students' lives would change if they lived there. We could locate Malawi on a map and learn about this country. As an activity, I would provide simple materials to each child such as pipe cleaners, straws, wire, and other basic, everyday items that children would not normally see as "toys." I would ask them to create a toy out of what they are given. They could see how hard it would be to make something they see as "fun toy" out of the materials provided. I think they would learn to be more appreciative of what they have.