Abiyoyo Book and CD [Hardcover]

Pete Seeger (Author), Michael Hays (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2001

Once there was a little boy who played the ukelele. Wherever he'd go he'd play, Clink, clunk, clonk. His father was a magician. Wherever he'd go, he'd make things disappear, Zoop! Zoop! Soon the townspeople grew tired of the boy's noise and his father's tricks, and banished both of them to the edge of town.

There they lived, until one day the terrible giant Abiyoyo appeared. He was as tall as a tree, and it was said that he could eat people up. Everyone was terrified, except the boy and his father, and they came up with a plan to save the town....

Pete Seeger's storysong, made up for his own children, finds its perfect match in Michael Hays's masterful paintings. As a special bonus, this edition includes a CD of Pete performing two different versions of "Abiyoyo." You'll love to follow and sing along as you listen to Pete tell this richly vivid and exciting story.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Abiyoyo, the popular picture-book version of a storysong by Pete Seeger, illustrated by Michael Hays, turns 15 in October. To celebrate, Simon & Schuster is issuing a special anniversary edition of the book, which will come packaged with a CD recording of Seeger performing two different versions of his work in colorful storytelling style, one from 1956, the other, a live performance captured in 1991. Inspired by a South African folktale, the story of how a father and son vanquish the giant named Abiyoyo has long been a favorite and has been featured on PBS's Reading Rainbow. In addition to the audio bonus, Seeger fans have still more to cheer about: the original hardcover (without CD) will remain in print and a sequel, Abiyoyo Returns, will be released in October as well.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 3 The words in this story-song flow along with the same ease and naturalness as Seeger's well-known telling on the recording, Abiyoyo and Other Story Songs (Folkways, 1967). There are only minor changes in this version, and the style reflects an oral rather than a literary tradition as Seeger switches from past to present tense in the text. Seeger combines his sense of humor and drama to turn disturbing events to high-spirited fun, as a father and son, turned out by their neighbors as troublemakers, use the very objects that bother peoplethe boy's clinking-clonking ukelele and the father's magic wandto obliviate Abiyoyo, monster on the loose, and so come back into community favor. The tale contains levels of meaning and powerful metaphors for those who choose to pursue them. If Hays' oil-on-linen illustrations are not always successful, it may be that they seem too studied when matched with Seeger's spontaneous, colloquial style. For example, the father is a magician in the simplest sense, yet Hays renders a "magic shop" in the background, with doves, rabbits, silk hatsnot the stuff of most folk tales. In peopling the village, too, he seems to be laboring to make a global statement, surrounding the black boy and his father with people of all races, places, beliefs. His Abiyoyo is a shadowy, looming figure against the blood-red sky, at first a faceless force, growing larger, and finally a towering glaring figure full of terrible witless energy. What is surprising about this Abiyoyo is the lack of earthiness. He is not sinew and muscle, but an automaton with a metallic gleam, the huge overalls he wears seeming an incongruous folksy touch. Still, there are also some very fine illustrations here, and this is a book worthy of attention. It merits a wide audience. Susan Powers, Berkeley Carroll Street School, Brooklyn
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 48 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers; Rei/Com edition (October 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0689846932
• ISBN-13: 978-0689846939
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 8.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #35,042 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #12 in Books > Books on Cassette > Children's Books

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Tale Perfectly Suited to Young Imaginations, October 29, 2004

By 

Theo Logos (Pittsburgh, PA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Abiyoyo Book and CD (Hardcover)

Abiyoyo was an African folktale, adapted by folk singer Pete Seeger as a bedtime story for his children, and later used in his concerts. The story is brilliant in its gripping simplicity, perfectly suited to capture the attention of small children and spark their imaginations. A little boy who plays the ukulele and his father, who plays tricks on people by using a magic wand to make things disappear are run out of town because they are annoying everyone. Then a giant from the old days, who eats people alive, comes and threatens the town, and it is only the little boy and his dad, using the very talents that had annoyed everyone, who save the day, and become heroes.
This book is the very favorite of my two pre-school boys. Everyday they bring it to me repeatedly asking me to read it to them. Every night, they request it as their last bedtime story (the story is easy to memorize, and lends itself well to personal adaptations). My four-year old will "read" the book himself, turning through the pages and repeating the story that he has memorized. Abiyoyo has captured their imaginations, and even entered into their play.
The book's illustrations are intriguing. As I mentioned, this story was adapted from an African folktale, and the boy and his father are depicted appropriately in character. But the illustrator depicts the town in which they live as a global village, with the residents being of many races and cultures, all wearing classic costumes of those cultures. Originally, this concept put me off a bit - an impossible mish-mash village that seemed little more than a sop to political correctness for kids. But as I watched my kids react to the book, my opinion changed. The multitude of customs stirred their curiosity, and as I answered their questions about each one, I realized that these illustrations provided an excellent tool for introducing them to the concept of different cultures.
This is a quality product - a great, simple story, creative illustrations, and a nice CD included with two versions of Pete Seeger telling the story in his own voice. My boys and I give it our highest recommendation.

Theo Logos

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars abiyoyo, March 17, 2000

By 

jane bishop (Old Orchard Beach,Maine) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Abiyoyo (Paperback)

Chrildren at my nursery school beg to hear this book over and over,I also love it and readily comply. We have the audio recording by Pete Seegar to accompany this story, he is a joy to listen to.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful story and lullaby, December 8, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Abiyoyo (Paperback)

My boys discovered this book at their preschool - both my two year old and the four year old adore the story and love the song that goes along with it (it's a Pete Seeger classic)! We now have a copy at home and it gets read aloud at least once a day. I highly recommend this book to anyone with young children - I just wish you carried the version with the audio tape and song. We can't seem to find it anywhere.