Abiyoyo

by Pete Seeger

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.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Music, Cultural, Folklore, Fiction, Africa

48 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1963

About the author

Peter Seeger, better known as Pete Seeger, was a folk singer, political activist, and a key figure in the mid-20th century American folk music revival. As a member of the Weavers, he had a string of hits, including a 1949 recording of Leadbelly's "Goodnight Irene" that topped the charts for 13 weeks in 1950. However, his career as a mainstream performer was seriously curtailed by the Second Red Scare: he came under severe attack as a former member of the Communist Party of the United States of America. Later, he re-emerged on the public scene as a pioneer of protest music in the late 1950s and the 1960s.

He was perhaps best known as the author or co-author of the songs "Where Have All the Flowers Gone?", "If I Had a Hammer (The Hammer Song)", and "Turn, Turn, Turn!", which have been recorded by many artists both in and outside the folk revival movement and are still sung throughout the world. "Flowers" was a hit recording for The Kingston Trio (1962), Marlene Dietrich, who recorded it in English, German and French (1962), and Johnny Rivers (1965). "If I Had a Hammer" was a hit for Peter, Paul & Mary (1962) and Trini Lopez (1963), while The Byrds popularized "Turn, Turn, Turn!" in the mid-1960s. Seeger was also widely credited with popularizing the traditional song "We Shall Overcome", which was recorded by Joan Baez and many other singer-activists, and became the publicly perceived anthem of the 1960s American Civil Rights Movement soon after musicologist Guy Carawan introduced it at the founding meeting of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) in 1960.

Reviews

[Ronyell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I actually first heard about this book when I watched an episode on “Reading Rainbow” that discussed the power of music. “Abiyoyo” is a South African lullaby and folk story by songwriter Pete Seeger along with illustrations by Michael Hays and it is about how a young boy and his father try to outsmart the monster Abiyoyo when the monster tries to threaten their village. “Abiyoyo” is a brilliant folktale that many children who love folk songs will definitely enjoy for many years!

Pete Seeger, master songwriter, has written a brilliant and creative adaptation of this classic South African folktale as he writes the story in a dramatic yet hilarious way as he makes Abiyoyo both menacing and hilarious at the same time as Abiyoyo is one of the few villains that I have seen where he easily dances to a song dedicated to him which makes him more like a great buffoon than an actual villain. Michael Hays’ illustrations are beautiful and extremely creative and beautiful at the same time, especially of the image of Abiyoyo himself as he looks like a bluish-white glass figurine with green looking overalls and a goofy grin on his face. The images that truly stood out the most in this book were the images of the villagers themselves as they range from all different cultures from around the world such as India, China, Africa and many more and the outfits that the villagers wear to represent their countries make the illustrations look extremely colorful.

Parents should know that Abiyoyo might scare smaller children since he eats people and even threatens the village. Parents should reassure their children that Abiyoyo is just a myth that many people told and that he does not really exist.

“Abiyoyo” is a brilliant adaptation of the classic folktale that many children who love reading books about monsters and love singing to folk songs will easily enjoy for many years. I would recommend this book to children ages five and up since smaller children might be frightened by the image of Abiyoyo.

Review is also on: Rabbit Ears Book Blog

[S.S. Julian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh man, this book scared the pants off me when I was a kid. Horrifying nightmare world of giants. There was an audiotape version that came with it, I think. Where do I get ahold of it, I wonder.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pete Seeger is a well-known musician/activist. He adapted this story from an old South African folktale. This book can even be found with Pete reading it online at the Reading Rainbow site. Peta adds his banjo to the Abiyoyo song.

I like reading in the preface:
The story has grown on me since I put it together during the Frightened Fifties. These were the years when Senator McCarthy was riding high and the House Un-American Activities Committee was getting people fired for their beliefs. Only years later did I realize the various meanings that could be attached to the story. I still feel that music, dance, and all arts are important tools to help the human race survive, subduing the beast in all of us.

From wiki, on Pete:
Peter Seeger (May 3, 1919 – January 27, 2014) was an American folk singer-songwriter, musician and social activist. He was a fixture on nationwide radio in the 1940s, and had a string of hit records in the early 1950s as a member of The Weavers, notably their recording of Lead Belly's "Goodnight, Irene," which topped the charts for 14 weeks in 1950. Members of the Weavers were blacklisted during the McCarthy Era. In the 1960s, Seeger re-emerged on the public scene as a prominent singer of protest music in support of international disarmament, civil rights, workers' rights, counterculture, environmental causes, and ending the Vietnam War.

The Abiyoyo story:
A boy that plays ukulele has townsfolk wishing he would quiet-down. His dad is a magician that makes thing disappear for fun and practical jokes (e.g. chair as someone sits down). Both are asked to leave town. But the big bad Abiyoyo monster arrives and everyone is terrified.

That's all I'll tell you! (no spoiler)

Nice artwork. Simple Abiyoyo song. Both can be seen/heard on the Reading Rainbow version read by Pete on you tube: Look up:
Pete Seeger Reads 'Abiyoyo' on Reading Rainbow

[Theo Logos · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pete Seeger adapted this African folktale as a bedtime story for his kids, later using it in his concerts. The story is brilliant in its simplicity. A ukulele playing boy and his trickster father are run out of town for annoying everyone. When a man-eating giant threatens the town the boy and his dad, using their annoying talents, save the day, and become heroes.

Abiyoyo was a regular in bedtime reading rotation when my kids were small. It’s an easy story to memorize and add personalized touches to. Abiyoyo captured their imaginations and became part of their play.

The book’s illustrations depicts the town as a global village with residents of many races all adorned in their culturally traditional dress. I found they were a good tool for introducing my kids to diverse cultures.

Abiyoyo tells a fun, simple story, has creative illustrations, and a CD is included with two versions of Pete Seeger telling the story in his own voice.

[Kai Joy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Had a moment with this book, where instantly I recognized the illustrations, its such a weird feeling when a book u were probably read a bunch as a child just comes back out of nowhere, like out of the muck of memory was like "oh yeah this is a book from my childhood damn". Anyway the like "global village" with all the different cultures was funny to me but ultimately I think good. Love a trickster figure and a musical child (the fool/ minstrel), good/ classic archetypes. Also the character design of the father and especially of the giant: iconic. Now the message you could take in multiple directions: the traits/ individuals who are socially outcast / different still have tremendous value to said society and often do things no other kinds of people can do. But then the opposite message there is: your non-normative traits will only be accepted by a given community/ culture if they are able to be exploited and "put to work". Overall p good, definitely has a unique energy for a kids book imo there is something a lil haunting/ eerie about it which I appreciate.

[B. P. Rinehart · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this as a child and saw a youtube clip of Pete Seeger himself telling this story. So I guess this a bit of nostalgia for me.

[Jorge Santos · Rating 2 out of 5]

Summary: Once, there was a boy that played his ukelele all over his town and people didn't want that. His father was a magician and got in trouble for playing too many tricks on people. Both of them got ostracized. Out of town they made storys about a giant called Abiyoyo. Nobody believed them but they still told them. One morning, a giant shape covered the sun, and people screamed with panic. The child and the father went to Abiyoyo, and people said that they would die. The child started playing his ukelele and Abiyoyo started to dance. Abiyoyo fell to the ground and the father took out his magic wand, and made him dissapear. The town people accepted them back to town.

Folktale requirements: This story meets all of the folktale requirements. First, it is based in a specific culture, which is a South African Lullaby (video that Peet Seeger sings Abiyoyo in Ms.Nina's website). Secondly, this folktale includes superpowers: "They used to tell a story about a giant called Abiyoyo," (page 1). It even has a identifiable theme: that you need to accept the way the other people are. "Come back to town. Bring your darn ukelele, we don't care anymore!" (page 2). The story was passed from generation to generation: Pete Seeger heard this story when he was a child. I don't recomend this story to children under 10 years.

[Mr. Cody · Rating 5 out of 5]

A golden classic from when I was a sprout. Truly a treat to enjoy this book with my 6 year old boy. Excellent in every regard. Musical, multi-cultural, short & sweet.

[Jill · Rating 5 out of 5]

I remember this book from my childhood and now as a preschool teacher I read it (and the sequel) to my classes.

I could sing the praises of this book for the rest of my life and it wouldn't be enough-- I'll try to be brief here. It's eminently readable aloud, and if you're not confident in your reading aloud or don't enjoy it, you can always pull up the song and read along with Pete Seeger instead. The illustrations are beautiful, striking the perfect balance between aesthetic/artistic appeal to adults and busy and interesting to children. And while "Abiyoyo" ends with the father "disappearing" the town's problem, the sequel "Abiyoyo Returns" brings the story to a satisfying, heartfelt conclusion that lifts up values of togetherness, respect for children and their competence, care for our environment, and embracing people for their differences.

This book has been a bastion of familarity and comfort to my current class of 3 year olds during the COVID-19 shelter-in-place. We have been reading it together since they were all around 1, and now we read it together on Zoom. They have had a hard time adapting to video chat as a medium, but the second they see the cover of Abiyoyo, I see their little faces light up and even the most restless ones come close to listen. And even though I can't hold any of them in my lap while I read, I hope that giving them this familiar story helps them feel warm and safe and loved in the same way.

So, thank you Pete Seeger and Michael Hays.

[Kristin Thomas]

Summary: "Abiyoyo" is a traditional literature that was based on a folk story and a South African lullaby.
A little boy and his farther were banished from a little town for making mischief. However, they were welcomed back when the father and son found a way to make to make Abiyoyo disappear.

Evaluation: I enjoyed reading this book, therefore, I rate this book as a 5. I liked how "Abiyoyo" had great images throughout the book. I also liked how this book included a little song. It was different and interesting.

Teaching Idea: "Abiyoyo" would be a great book for introducing the topic of predictions. While the teacher reads this book aloud, he/she can stop throughout the book and ask the students questions, such as: What do you think is going to happen next?, What do you think, or who do you think could make a noise as loud as that?, etc. Once the teacher has finished reading the book, the teacher and the students could revisit their predictions to see if they were right.

[Christina Mallory]

Text-To-World Connection
In the story, the people in the town did not approve of the magic stick that the little boy in the story dad would carry around town and make people life difficult. The little boy loved to play his ukelele that people would complain about, but at the end of the story, the little boy and his dad helped save the town from the monster, Abiyoyo with his magic wand and his song and dance he created using his ukelele. If people in the world would take the time to get to know people better they will be able to realize that a person could be harmful in one way but very helpful in another way. If people stop judging others by what someone tells them and sit down and actually get to know that person themselves then they would be able to make their own judgment.

[Sam · Rating 5 out of 5]

My first review of 2019 was a special children's book--the only picture book I recorded all year, despite having read numerous such books. So, it feels right to end the year with a picture book that my 5 year old has come to love so deeply, Abiyoyo. She screams with joy when I read it and always tries to comfort me in case I am scared of the monster. Suffice it to say it is a reminder that our love of books can be about the book by itself or, at least partly, colored by the context in which we read it. Abiyoyo will be forever associated with 2019 and my smallest child gripping me with happiness.

[Lauren Waters · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this story when I was a little girl, and I remember drawing our own versions of Abiyoyo in art class. It is so fun to see my kids take to this story. My son has listened to the CD recording with the book at least 30 times since we picked it up from the library on Friday. Abiyoyo is fun to read and act out.

[Laurel Krause · Rating 5 out of 5]

Abiyoyo is a book about a young boy who lives in a small town. His father always plays instruments and his grandfather does magic. One day the town is in danger from a giant who is threathning the villiage and Abiyoyo asks his father to help. His father and grandfather help the keep the giant away.

I would 5/5 rate this book. The illustrations are bright and colorful. The book can be played along to a beat which can help keep the children engaged

[Harlyn Rengel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it I read it at forest school and it gave me shivers but such a good book!

[Ricardo Peters]

The genre of the is book is traditional literature. This book is based on a South African lullaby and folk story. One of the themes in the story is family and having an open heart. Family is presented when the father and son present their music together and having an open heart is shown when they would play music to defeat the monster instead of trying to find a way to kill him. This book is a WOW book for me because it displays the old folk story and gives the same
message in a different way.
Some of the writing techniques used in the story was story telling. The author used the character in the book to tell a story to the boy. This gives students a different way to understand a story because they are usually used to a story being read to them and not a story being told in a book. The author also uses a variety of pictures and descriptive language to describe the events in the story such as the monster and the music. The book was free of bias because he used a song that many people can recite and sing along to.

[Evelyn Swanson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Abiyoyo is based on a South African lullaby and folktale adapted by songwriter Peter Seeger and illustrated by Michael Hays. This book is an excellent read aloud for Kindergarten to grade three. The story is about the scary giant Abiyoyo, who is always hungry and appears in a small South African village to eat the cows and sheep. The people are afraid for their lives because they fear Abiyoyo will want to eat them too! How can the townspeople get rid of this menacing giant?

Seeger begins to tell the story about a little boy and his father who were thrown out of the village for being mischievous. The boy loves to play the ukulele around the town, and his father, a magician, plays tricks on the townspeople by waving his magic wand, making things disappear. Although they were both harmless troublemakers, the people are not happy with their behavior. They did not want to hear the “clink” “clank” “clunk” of the ukulele and the “zoop!” “zoop!” of the father’s waving wand.
One day, the hungry Abiyoyo appears into the town to eat the cows and sheep. The townspeople run for their lives for fear of being consumed by the giant. The young boy saw what was happening and bravely took his ukulele and begins to play a song for the giant, “Abiyoyo… Abiyoyo…Abiyoyo….Abiyoyo…” The giant never heard a song about himself and started to sing and dance until he falls to the ground with exhaustion. The father being a magician waves his wand over the giant and “zoop!” he disappears. The townspeople are so happy Abiyoyo has vanished and welcomed the boy and his father back into the village.

This book is a great addition to any unit on folktales from around the world. The teacher can discuss the moral of the story as a whole class or students can discuss in small groups their interpretation of what the story's message is. Also, they can compare and contrast American folktales with ones from other countries. Each story has a moral and students can learn other cultural values through telling these stories. Lastly, students can draw their version of Abiyoyo and share with the class or create a script based on the story and act it out for the class.

If you want to watch the author of Abiyoyo, Peter Seeger tells the story on the PBS show Reading Rainbow. Take a look! https://youtu.be/cPZtuPyXRfw

[Lucas Calderon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Abiyoyo is a folktale. It's setting is in the United States. The magician father and his son were ostraziced from the town. The problem was about a giant called Abiyoyo that the magician father told to his son about. One day Abiyoyo appeared, walking into the town and destroying everything. The son started to use the ukulele and made Abiyoyo dance until he fell to the floor. Finally when Abiyoyo was on the ground, the magician father made him disappear. The town was happy and now the father and son lived in town again.



Applying the Elements of a Folktale to my Folktale



"Abiyoyo" is definatly a folktale because has the 4 elements of a folktale. One element is that it is passed from generation to generation. On pg.12 in the only paragraph it said " People used to tell stories about the giant that lived in the old days." The next element is that it is from a specific culture. The 2nd to last it says it on the cover of the book. The 3rd and almost last element is that it has supernatural powers. In the folktale there is a gaint called Abiyoyo: evidence pg.12 " giants lived in the old days." To the last element, it is that it teaches a lesson; in my opinion the lesson is sometimes something that is not useful may be very useful. This lesson played out in Abiyoyo when the son and the magician father were ostraziced from the town, a giant attacked the town and they saved all the people's life when the son distracted him with the ukulele the magician father made him disappear.

[Kristen Sawyer]

Summarize the book:
This is the story about a father who uses his magic wand to torment the villagers while his son annoys them with his ukulele. They get sent to live on the outside of town. One day, a giant arrives in the town and no one knows what to do. The father and his son go to greet the giant and the boy starts playing his ukulele, the giant starts dancing, the boy plays his ukulele faster and the giant starts dancing faster. The giant falls over and the father uses his magic wand to make the giant disappear. The townspeople are thankful and invite the father and boy back into town.

Identify the characteristics from the text that support the specific genre:
This folk tale contains many elements associated with traditional literature. This story has a motif of trickery and a magical object. The father is a trickster and plays tricks on the towns people the magical object, the wand, is used to make the giant disappear.

Identify specific concepts that could be integrated into the classroom:
Integrating this story into the classroom, we can use it to study South African culture. We can also integrate creative writing prompts such as asking students to write about how they would make the giant disappear.


Offer any other suggestions that would be useful regarding literary content, reading level, and other ways in which the book might be integrated:
Incorporate creative drama such as role playing. You can have students use a toy ukulele, a magic wand and culturally accurate clothing.

[Ariel Tyler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Abiyoyo is a folk story from South Africa about a boy and his father that outwit the monster Abiyoyo. They both possess magic that is both delightful to others and terrifying. Eventually they get driven out of their village because of people fearing their magic. Soon the monster Abiyoyo shows up, terrorizing everyone, and it's only the father and son's magic that is able to save the day.

I like this book for all elementary grades because it's easy to understand, the pictures are engaging and there are multiple levels to it. A teacher could discuss things like being afraid of things you don't understand, being shunned because you're different, realizing that something that people don't like about you can be a strength, etc. I first read this book as a child after it showed up on Reading Rainbow. As someone else commented, I think this book is a great example of authors writing a book about a different culture from themselves and still doing a great job. The townspeople also seem to have a variety of ethnic backgrounds but that could just be the illustrator's drawing style. I also really enjoyed that it was a Black father and son working together to solve a problem; something that there is a lack of in popular media. They also used the power of song to defeat the monster instead of violence. I feel that shows children that there is more than one way to solve a problem and that sometimes the trait that marks you as "other" can also mark you as "hero."

[Carola Prida · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Abiyoyo" is a folktale about one boy and his father that are being rejected from town. The father, was a magician and disappeared too many things, which made people hate him. The boy, plays too much guitar and people were sick of it. One day, Abiyoyo, a giant that people didn't believe on, came to town. People were running and screaming. The boy and his father went to Abiyoyo and started singing to him, "Abiyoyo, abi-abiyoyo!" The giant started dancing and fell, because he ran out of air. The father *zapped* him with his magic wand, and Abiyoyo disappeared. People cheered them, while welcoming them home.
Is Abiyoyo a folktale? It has to be based on a culture, has a theme, has super-powersIs based on African-American culture, and we know that because we can see that on the way they look, (on the cover) and the way they talk "clink clunk clink clunk," (pg.1, line 2). The theme is that sometimes the thing you think are annoying, may turn out to be are the things that are more helpful or useful (pg. 10/28). Abiyoyo also has super-powers: the giant and the magic (pg. 2/14). In the book it states that it has been passed from generation to generation, which means that it has no author: (cover, it's re-written). "The old people used to tell stories about giants that lived in the old days" (pg. 12, line 1-2). Therefore, the 4 elements are being used in “Abiyoyo,” so yes! It's a folktale.

[Olivia]

Abiyoyo is a South African lullaby/folk tale that is told generation to generation. It's about a little boy and his father who don't quite fit in in their community. The little boy plays the ukulele and it disturbs the people around him. His father is a magician but people don't like it when he is around because he makes things disappear with his magic wand. They tell the story of Abiyoyo who is a huge man who will eat people. Well, one morning Abiyoyo comes to town and everyone is afraid of him. The little boy and his father have courage and go up to see Abiyoyo. The ukulele is played and they sing the song to Abiyoyo and he eventually falls down and the dad makes him disappear. After that, the people in the town are accepting of the two.

This is a very interesting story that I have never heard before. I think my kindergartners would enjoy listening to a book that is very different than ones I normally read to them. We do a unit on fairy tales so this would be a great example of one that they have never heard before. It's not like anything they have read or heard and I think it's important to read books that they can AND cannot relate to, culture wise. I can remind them of different lullabies or stories their parents tell them before they go to sleep and then read this to them. This is a WOW book for me because it is about a different culture than my own and I enjoyed reading it and learning about this lullaby the South Africans would tell their children.

[Karla Paredes]

“abiyoyo”
Genre: Folktale

“Abiyoyo” is a short folktale about a kid with an ukulele and his father with a wand who plays to many tricks on people. This African-American folktale talks about a father and his son who the village people are sick about. They told them to go away (out of the village) and leave forever. This is the problem. In the story, people pass from generation to generation a story about a monster called Abiyoyo. No one believed in it until one morning the ground shook, so they knew Abiyoyo was in town. Everyone was screaming and running for their lives until both father and son decided to get close to him and sing a song about the terrible monster. Abiyoyo danced and danced until he was out of breath, and fell on the floor. Village people were cheering, and telling them to come back to town.

I can tell this short story is a folktale because it has all elements of a folktale. For example it has super natural powers. It says: “The boy’s father was a magician” (pg.2). Another element of a folktale is that it has been passed from generation to generation, meaning it has no author: “The old people used to tell stories about the giants that lived in the old days” (pg.12). We can tell this has an specific culture which is the African-American culture (cover). At last, this has a lesson which is that you should never give up (whole story).

[Sydney Armstrong · Rating 5 out of 5]

Abiyoyo is a perfect book to incorporate culture, music, and reading strategies into the classroom. It is an old South African folktale about a monster that comes into town and eats people's cattle and destroys farms. When the monster comes into town, everyone runs in fear except a boy and his dad who were previously kicked out of town for their theatrical habits. However, it is those habits that saves the day, making everyone in the town loving them and wanting them to come back.

This book contains examples of onomatopoeia that can be used for lessons. This is also a great example to introduce students to the genre of folktales. There is also actual folklore music included that can be used to engage students and appreciate the history behind stories that are passed down. These wonderful features contained in this story is what makes this a WOW book for me. I would love to read this story aloud to my classroom to engage them in folktales and also teach them the moral of accepting everyone.

[Diego · Rating 5 out of 5]

Abiyoyo


“Abiyoyo” is folktale that takes place in a small town on South Africa. It is the story of a boy with a ukelele that people town hated him and a magician who also was hated, so they were kicked out of the town. One day they woke up and they saw across the fields Abiyoyo the giant attacking the town, the boy and the magician were brave and they took down the giant, the town accepted them again.

“Abiyoyo” is a folktale because it is based on beliefs, this means that it does not have an author, it shows on the story supernatural powers which means that the story is fiction, in “Abiyoyo” the story shows magicians and giants two things that are not real, finally a folktale shows always a message.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

During library school, there was a storytelling class I took, and one of my fellow students was a teacher getting her media specialist title. She performed this book with such flair as well as singing the song with a tune that she may have gotten from elsewhere or made up, I don't know. I do know that I now do this story - including the song - exactly the way she did it, and it is always a big hit with the five to eight set.

[Jennifer Hadley · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book Abiyoyo was a charming folktale of a man and a boy that were not liked by their town and a scary monster named Abiyoyo. This book would be good for a read aloud in 1st grade classes and up. It has a great message of bravery and judgement. It teaches not to be so easily annoyed and quick to judge people. Children will love the tale of all the magic and a funny dancing monster.

[Heather · Rating 2 out of 5]

We might have enjoyed this more if we'd had the cassette/CD, but we didn't and thus we give it 2 stars.

The illustrations were okay, but the story seemed forced. The father isn't the best of role models but the son is brave and resourceful. We most likely won't be reading this again.

[Krishna · Rating 4 out of 5]

The main thing I remember about this book is that it came with a cassette, and the Abiyoyo song will still periodically get stuck in my head, even though I haven't heard it in 13 or 14 years. Abiyoyo, Abiyoyo. Abiyoyo, iyoyo, iyoyo!

[Dianna · Rating 5 out of 5]

2013: This is one of those books that my daughter asked me to read again upon finishing it the first time—and I didn't mind.

2018: This was just the right amount of spooky and magical for our four-year-old preschool group. They liked it!