Review of Abiyoyo
by Caleb Powell (with a little help from Mommy and Daddy)


Abiyoyo, by Pete Seeger, is about a little boy and his father. The little boy plays his ukelele so much that the grown-ups do not like it one bit because they get tired of the noise. And his father always plays magic jokes on everybody in the town with a magic wand.....like when a man is getting ready to sit down after a hard day of work -- "Zoop!" -- the father takes the chair away.

The people in the town get sick and tired of them, so they send the child and the man to live on the edge of the town. And then the father tells his son a story that no one really believes about a giant named Abiyoyo. The father says that Abiyoyo lived in the old days and eats people and has crazy hair, smelly feet and more things.

And then the next day, Abiyoyo appears. The giant grabs a sheep and a cow. The people in the town are really scared, but the little boy and his father find a way to get rid of Abiyoyo and then everyone in the town is not mad at them anymore. They don't care that the little boy always plays his ukelele and that the father always plays tricks on people.

I really, really like this book. My favorite part of the story was when I got to see Abiyoyo. My mom is going to help me make a magic wand like the one in this story. We're going to call it our "Abiyoyo wand."




Note: Abiyoyo is a Reading Rainbow® selection as well as a Between the Lions Read Aloud Book Club® selection.

Caleb is a 7-year-old first-grader who is doing very well in school. He enjoys the outdoors and welcomes every opportunity to play outside with his friends. He is an avid football fan and plays Flag Football, Soccer and Basketball. Because of his high interest in football, his parents are currently helping him to master the names of the United States by matching states to the names of professional and college football teams. Caleb's thoroughly enjoying that lesson!


May 30, 2003