Originally, Gabriele Galimberti was just going to photograph a girl who happened to be playing with her toys. But once the photographer laid the four-year-old's colorful plastic farm tools around her, he saw potential. "Immediately," he says in his book's introduction, "there was something about the composition I liked."
Thus began a 30-month, 58-country tour photographing children and their favorite toys. The resulting book, Toy Stories: Photos of Children from Around the World and Their Favorite Things, published by Abrams Image, reveals a great deal about the world's diverse socio-economic realties through an incredibly simple and inclusive subject. After all, who among us didn't have a beloved plaything — or ten — growing up?
Here, a selection of Galimberti's sweet and fascinating photos.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Toy Stories: Photos of Children from Around the World and Their Favorite Things
By Gabriele Galimberti
Published by Abrams Image
Continue reading for free
We hope you're enjoying The Week's refreshingly open-minded journalism.
Subscribed to The Week? Register your account with the same email as your subscription.
