Pete Seeger (1919–2014)

The plot of this book is so imaginative and different. It has a small amount of fear factor because the character Abiyoyo is said to "eat people up." When reading, I thought that some readers may be frightened upon reading that. This book uses onomatopoeia when discussing music or actions done by characters. This literary detail helps the book and story come alive. The plot of this book does a good job explaining background information that the reader needs to understand the town and the show more people who occupy it. The characters present within the story are believable but there is a sense of imagination when the character of Abiyoyo comes. The main message that I believe this book is trying to teach is that people can learn to live with their monsters and that fears shouldn't hold you back from accomplishing your dreams. It also presents the idea that things aren't always as bad as you think they might be. Abiyoyo was said to be this monster that would eat people up, but with some love and attention he turns out to be a very impactful member of the town. This book presents a multicultural tale about how people can live amongst those who are different from themselves and encourages children to not judge others just based on tales or stories they have heard. show less

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 show more 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. show less

I thoroughly enjoyed this book for a few reasons. First, I like how the author used and showcased onomatopoeia throughout the book. On the first page the author writes the sounds “Plink-a-plink-BOMP-plink-plink”, to have the readers imagine what a piano sounds like. On top of this, the author puts these sounds in a multicolored and large font to stand out in the text. It was an interesting and eye-catching feature.
Secondly, I liked the plot of this story. Lee (the main character), was a show more piano player in a jazz band until he suddenly went deaf. His band kicked him out, and Lee was forced to find somewhere else to go. He went to a school for the deaf and learned how to play music by utilizing sign language. He did this on the subway every day and soon he formed an entirely new band. I think for the author to juxtapose the concept of a deaf man playing and “hearing” music to a non-deaf musician was brilliant. This shed light on how the deaf community functions and how they are not entirely crippled because of their disability.
The overall message in this story is that as long as an individual perseveres, there is nothing they cannot accomplish. Lee worked hard to learn sign language so he could once again do the thing he loves most in the world, play music. show less

Lee is a piano man. He plays Jazz music for the crowd every night. One night Lee’s band members noticed something was off. Lee was missing his beats to play! Everyone could notice that Lee was loosing his hearing. After Lee is kicked out of his band he discovers a school for the deaf where he learns sign language. Lee shortly after meets a new friend named Max who knows how to play the sax. Together they form a new band the Deaf Musicians. I thought this was a different approach to telling show more a story about someone who cannot hear. I really liked how it was told in a way to be inspiring and gave the message to never give up even if you have a disability that can potentially make you want to give up. show less