Customer Reviews

Abiyoyo (Stories to Go!) Paperback

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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

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.

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.

In a storysong based on a South African folktale, a young boy and his father are cast out of town because they annoy the townspeople with their ukulele playing and magic tricks. When the giant Abiyoyo comes to town wreaking havoc, the father and son save the day with the same ukulele music and magic.

Do yourself a favor and check out Seeger's performance, which is really is delightful - you can hear the children laughing at some parts and the adults at others. The book, however, falls a little flat for me. In print, the text seems dull and a little spare and, for a storysong, it has little rhythm. The illustrations aren't particularly remarkable, but the diversity of the townfolk is a little heavy-handed, with an Asian woman with chopsticks in her hair, an Indian woman with a bindi on her forehead, a Buddhist monk, a bearded man with a yarmulke, an American Indian man with braids and a feathered headband, and a man of indeterminate origin with a turban on his head and a monkey on his shoulder! With what we can hear in Seeger's performance, I wonder if a new edition with updated illustrations is in order. Also, I would be interested in knowing more about the tale this was based on - in a nice introduction honoring the tradition of oral storytelling, Seeger admits to building the story out of a footnote. I would be interested in knowing a bit more about the story's origins.

Illustarations excellent..story in the book and on dvd are a favortie of my grandchildren...must confess, even though I am 67, I enjoyed it too.

Every summer, the library in which I work has daily storytimes. And when 3:30 rolls around, the librarian who's supposed to be doing the reading (that would be me) inevitably starts searching the shelves for some sure-fire storytime hits. It isn't easy. You have to gauge how old your audience is going to be, sight unseen, and come up with a variety of different reading levels just in case. You need books that sound good on the tongue, are interesting, sport amusing pictures, and yet have just enough creativity to enliven a half-hour of tale telling. With all this in mind, thank God for "Abiyoyo". It fulfills a storyteller's every need and keeps 'em coming back for more. Little wonder it's as popular as it is.

In a town populated by people of every race, persuasion, and creed, a boy and his father live. They're not the most popular people in town. The boy plucks his ukelele everywhere to the distraction of his neighbors and his father, a yuckster, likes to make things disappear for no good reason. Unsurprisingly, they're chucked out of town when the boy's pa makes one thing too many go "zoop!". On the edge of town one day, they spot a fearsome sight. A giant by the name of Abiyoyo has appeared and he has a ravenous appetite for sheep, cows, and people. Fortunately, the boy and the father have a plan and it isn't long before their ukelele and magic wand have some very practical uses indeed.

Now I know this book is called a "storysong" and that it certainly couldn't hurt to sing it aloud during the reading, but I tell you here and now that a musical ear is not a requirement for this tale. Admittedly, I'd recommend that you purchase a version of this book that comes with a recording by Pete Seeger. Obviously. But if you're reading it on your own to a large group of dumb-struck five-year-olds, just read the song "Abiyoyo" that appears in this book with a whole lot of verve and pep. The story is relatively short (it takes less than 5 minutes to read it) but the words are catchy with plenty of "zoops", "clinks" "clunks" and "clonks" to jangle with the ear.

The illustrations are a source of contention. Why this is, I do not know. Illustrator Michael Hays (also responsible for Mildred D. Taylor's, "Gold Cadillac") has chosen to place this tale in a particularly fanciful village. The people here are of all kinds of races and identities. This is the world as a village in a particularly straightforward way. Abiyoyo himself, when he appears, is a suitable threat. Initially silhouetted against a "blood red" sky, he looks like nothing so much as an escapee from a Cubism painting. All sharp shiny surfaces, of which there are too many.

Few kids can resist hearing a tale of magic, giants, and a clever child hero. "Abiyoyo" shall undoubtedly remain a staple of the storytelling community for years and years to come as well. If you have a list of picture book must-reads, be sure to place this one somewhere in the vicinity of the top.

I am a teacher in a daycare and my kids love this book we use it to teach personal hygiene and relationships with parents. The copy I had was James Earl Jones narrating. A must have!

I closed out my teaching career in 2000, the last 12 years in Kindergarten, with both English speakers and English Language Learners. Abiyoyo was an all time favorite with both groups and there was a waiting line at the listening station during activity time when Abiyoyo was the story of the day. Imagine my delight when 1) my four year old granddaughter was visitng this summer and discovered Abiyoyo, and 2)I discovered that there was a new 15th anniversary edition with a CD. She loves it and it's a treat to share it with my own after so many years of sharing what I love with someone else's children!!

Esther Barclay

This book was read to him on an episode of reading rainbow. He sang ABIYOYo all day and weeks after that. He loves this story. It's great for your little ones because it's folklore stories... and it keeps mom interested too.

I used to love to listen to Pete Seeger tell this story when I was a kid. So when I discovered the book a few years ago, I immediately bought it for my older daughter, who was then 3. It became one of her favorites--she loved the story, and also enjoyed looking at all the details in the pictures. At 7, she still likes it, but now it's her younger sister's bedtime staple. At 3, Younger Sister can recite the whole story from memory, and loves "reading" it along with me, making the zoop zoop sounds, gobbling cows and sheep, shouting "He'll eat you alive" and singing the song. It's also a good incentive to get her to groom herself. After all, she doesn't want Abiyoyo teeth!

In the end, the formerly ostracized (and isn't it great when your 3-year-old knows what that word means?) child and his father triumph and are welcomed back into the multi-cultural community. As a parent, I can appreciate that as well.