 Abiyoyo
By Pete Seeger
Review
by: Karen
Shaw
Abiyoyo
is a South African folk story. Pete Seeger, the great storyteller, came up
with this one from a single footnote attached to a lullaby. His
preschool children asked for the story again and again and yours will too.
The tale is that of a young boy and his magician father. The tricks
the magician plays on people angers them until one day they make the boy and
his father leave town. The townspeople tell stories about giants,
especially one called Abiyoyo. They say he can eat people, but no one
believes it. One day a large shadow moves toward the town and the ground
shakes. As the monster comes closer, they realize it is Abiyoyo. The father and son
are awakened by the noise. The father declares that if he can get
Abiyoyo to lie down, he can make him disappear. The boy grabs his
father's hand and his ukelele. His father gets his magic wand and they
run across the fields. They come very close to Abiyoyo and the boy begins to
sing and play. This makes the monster dance faster and faster until
out of breath, he falls to the ground. The father steps up with his
magic wand and zap, Abiyoyo disappears. All the people of the town
lift the father and son on their shoulders and sing the song together.
This is a great multicultural story. To make it even better, consider
purchasing the story on tape, read by James Earl Jones. He does a
magnificent job of telling this tale.
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