The Matatu

by Eric Walters

Kioko had been watching the mini-busses - called "matatus" come and go for as long as he could remember. But today, for his fifth birthday, he climbs aboard one with his grandfather. As the matatu pulls away from the market, the village dogs chase after them. When Kioko asks his grandfather why the dogs always bark and chase after matatus, his grandfather tells him an entertaining tale about a dog, a goat and a sheep. Set in East Africa, The Matatu is a colorful story filled with many unexpected turns and twists along the way.

I wish I could be there with you right now in your beautiful country, This story was told to me as I rode on a Matatu from Kikima to Machakos in Kenya. That’s the route taken by Kioko, the main character in my story. Maybe sometime you’ll come to Kenya and have a chance to ride on a Matatu. Remember to watch for the dogs, the goats and the sheep!

Eric Walters Author Biography

Eric Walters began writing in 1993 as a way to entice his grade 5 students into becoming more interested in reading and writing. Since then Eric has published 83 novels and picture books may of which have been translated into French, Japanese, Spanish, Dutch, Chinese, German, Swedish, Korean, Italian, Swedish and Norwegian. Eric lives in Mississauga, Ontario with his wife, Anita, and they have three grown children, Christina, Nicholas, and Julia. When not writing, or playing and watching sports, he and Anita manage the Creation of Hope – an organization that serves orphans and needy children in Kenya.