( CNN ) -- Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens are swell and all , but boys and girls from around the world have vastly different interpretations of their `` favorite things , '' according to a new book by Italian photographer Gabriele Galimberti . Galimberti visited more than 50 countries to document children with their most prized playthings for `` Toy Stories : Photos of Children from Around the World and Their Favorite Things , '' which will be released on March 25 . The photos prompt readers to reflect on the abundance of possessions that some children enjoy while others live a comparatively pared down existence because of poverty or their cultural values . `` The fewer toys a child had , the less possessive he or she was about them , '' notes London-based writer Ben Machell in the book 's introduction . `` Galimberti describes having to spend several hours winning the trust of Western children before they would consent to let him touch their planes , cars , or dolls . 'In poorer countries , they do n't care as much . They play in a different way , running around , sharing one ball between them all . ' `` Not only are the toys reflective of the children 's socioeconomic class but also their parents ' aspirations . `` Hopes and ambitions are passed down through the toys parents choose for their children . Children from families boasting musicians invariably receive toy instruments , '' Machell writes , also noting that a cab driver 's son had a fleet of toy cars . Galimberti recently chatted with CNN via e-mail about `` Toy Stories . '' The interview has been edited for clarity and brevity . CNN : Where did you get the idea for the project ? Gabriele Galimberti : I started this project almost by chance . The first photo I took of this series was in Tuscany ( Alessia , the girl with the cows in the background ) . She 's the daughter of one of my best friends ; that friend asked me to photograph her child . [ When ] I went to their house , and she was playing with the cows , I thought that situation was really nice and I decided to take the photo of her there with the cows and her toys . I really loved the result of that photo , and some months later when I was starting my trip around the world , I decided to take the same kind of photo in every country that I was going to visit . I had the opportunity to travel around the world for more than two years because , at that time , I was working for one of the major Italian magazines `` D-La Repubblica . '' I was doing a project about CouchSurfing.org , so I traveled to 58 countries by only using the network . All the children that I have photographed are somehow connected to the couch surfers that hosted me along my long trip . They are their children , their nieces and nephews or simply their neighbors . Picture this : 'Much Loved ' teddy bears . CNN : These toys are obviously prized possessions to the boys and girls -- how did you earn the children 's trust ? Galimberti : I played with them ! And , of course , with the help of their parents . Most of the time , it was really easy to get their trust . I always had the photos of the children I photographed before , so sometimes it was just enough to show them the other photos to convince them to pose for me . I was really surprised to see how easy it was for children to understand my project . CNN Photos : Clown 'revolution ' lifts refugee kids . CNN : What did you want the project 's takeaway to be ? Galimberti : I do n't want to give any particular message . I just wanted to show how different we are in the world , and how different people live all around the globe . CNN : Did any particular photo shoots stick out ? Galimberti : Every child and photo has their own funny anecdote , but one of the most particular is the one I photographed in Zambia : Maudy , the girl with the sunglasses . I was in this little village in the north part of the country , a place where there is almost nothing -- no electricity , no running water and , of course , no toy stores . It is almost impossible to find a child with a toy . Almost all of the children play outside with each other , and they are used to playing with anything they find outside . I was lucky enough to arrive in that village a couple of days after Maudy found a box of sunglasses on the ground along the main road . Her mother told me she thought they had fallen off a truck , but all the children in the village were playing with these glasses . CNN : Did you have a favorite toy growing up that you would have been photographed with if the shoe was on the other foot ? Galimberti : Yes , from ages 3 to 6 , I had a little [ plush ] monkey that I called Bongo Bongo . That was for sure my favorite one !
` ` Toy ##s '' features kids from around the world with their favorite toys . Photographer Gabriele Rossi visited more than 50 countries for the book . The book will be released on March 2018 by Harvey Abrams Books .