A beautiful African children's folk tale. ( )

It is a great book that is the story about a boy and his magician father who are banished from the town because of his father played tricks on the townspeople. The giant Abiyoyo returns to torment the town and the people all flee. The boy and his father work together to defeat the giant. Upon the townspeople learning that they have defeated the giant they are welcomed back as heroes.

There was a boy who overplayed his ukulele and whose father had a magic wand he overused. His father made glasses, chairs, and saws disappear as people were trying to use them. The people made them leave town. One day, a giant named Abiyoyo, only a legend until that day, came to town. He terrorized the town until the boy played a song on his ukulele for Abiyoyo, who danced until he fell down. The father then made Abiyoyo disappear with his wand and the grateful town let the boy and father come back to the town.

I love folk tales or stories told in song because I know thousands, maybe millions, of people have heard the stories before me. The father character was annoying, even after he was the hero. It makes you wonder if when he was allowed back in the town, he still continued to misuse his wand. The mood changes from annoyed, to scared, to joyful and it’s a smooth transition each time. There is also sheet music in the book, which I thought was neat to expose kids to.

In a class setting, we could write a story about what happens once the boy and his father return to town. Were they still annoying? Did the townspeople treat them differently/honor them for destroying Abiyoyo? Or were they again ostracized? We could compose a song for something that is a giant in our life (homework, chores) and learn the basics of sheet music.

A story of a boy who loves his ukelele and his dad who likes to make things disappear. The townspeople do not appreciate the noise and the tricks so they send them to live on the outskirts of the village. But when they take care of the feared monster, Abiyoyo, everyone is singing them praises.

This is a fictional, folklore book. The illustrations are hand-drawn paintings and colored using neutral oil pastels. It is about a little boy and his father was a musician. The little boy played the ukelele and his father made things disappear. Unfortunately, the townspeople grew tired of the fathers tricks and the noise the boy made with the ukelele, so they were ostracized. One day, Abiyoyo, the terrible giant appeared and everyone was terrified expect for the boy and his father who saved the town. The reading level is probably third grade, because of the content. The curricular connections are: music, magic, giants, banishment, and saving the day. ( )

A favorite book, especially with 4's and 5's. A little scary, but it's all cured with a singable song. A good story for just before we go outside, because it's pretty exciting. ( )

A gentle story about magic and a monster. The monster is subdued by music, a catchy tune about himself, that he enjoys so much he dances to the point of exhaustion. There is a sequel out now where the townspeople find a way to live peacefully with Abiyoyo. ( )

Banished from the town for making mischief, a little boy and his father are welcomed back when they find a way to make the dreaded giant Abiyoyo disappear. ( )

song in the text-a bit scary

Adapted from a South African folktale. A boy and his magician father are ostracized -- the boy because he keeps playing his ukelele and the father because he has a magic wand which can make things disappear, but he played too many tricks on people. In that town they used to tell stories about giants that lived in the old days -- like Abiyoyo. Then one day Abiyoyo shows up and starts to eat the sheep and the cows and the people are afraid. But the boy grabs his father and they run out to face Abiyoyo, despite the townspeople all yelling for them to come back. The boy then plays his ukelele and the giant starts dancing, and the boy keeps speeding up, until the giant falls over. Then the father steps up and with his magic wand makes the giant disappear. The boy and his father are now heroes and the townspeople welcome them back. ( )