Abiyoyo

Abiyoyo
by Pete Seeger
illustrated by Michael Hays

In this story song book, Pete Seeger tells his interpretation of an South African lullaby and folk story. A little boy and his magician father are banished from town, but when the ferocious giant Abiyoyo appears, the two of them save the day, using music and magic to make Abiyoyo disappear.

I read this story to a Kindergarten class, and the children eagerly participated singing the "Abiyoyo" song in the book. It is a fun story, and the suspense really kept the children engaged. The father's magic wand in the story goes "zoop!" and I taught the children to wave their pretend magic wands and yell "zoop!" as I read the story. The kids loved it, and they were full of predictions about how the boy and his father would take care of Abiyoyo.

The oil on linen illustrations really add nice detail to the story, creating a magical image for the reader.