 "timeless classic" | 2007-05-20 |
| - Reviewed By smallzloch |
| My three year old son gets as much joy out of this classic story as I did as a child (according to my mother). He identifies with the little boy as well as with the giant - and he asks for it over and over - the enclosed CD allows me to read to him or to let this be independent play as I need to. |
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| "MAGICAL effect" | 2007-04-25 |
| - Reviewed By beatriceizzey |
Got this book from a used book store when our kid was 2 years old. It's had a magical effect on her even today, a year later. She has imitated the Abiyoyo character, begs me to make up Abiyoyo stories, tells me he's her friend, etc. We've read it at least 200 times. The monster is a real, significant presence in our daughter's life.
Perhaps because its phrasing comes from a song, the lines are memorable. Our child has memorized whole pages, and "sings" along when we read it to her. There's not a single word that can be deleted, it's that finely edited.
Definitely in the top 10 in our library. |
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| "Abiyoyo" | 2007-01-12 |
| - Reviewed By drhody4 |
| I am a teacher in a daycare and my kids love this book we use it to teach personal hygiene and relationships with parents. The copy I had was James Earl Jones narrating. A must have! |
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 "Good" | 2007-01-04 |
| - Reviewed By babygirl72 |
| The book was received in a timely manner. It took about a week for me to receive it after placing my order. The book was in new condition. I would definitely order from this seller again. |
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| "A favorite" | 2006-10-18 |
| - Reviewed By dephal |
I used to love to listen to Pete Seeger tell this story when I was a kid. So when I discovered the book a few years ago, I immediately bought it for my older daughter, who was then 3. It became one of her favorites--she loved the story, and also enjoyed looking at all the details in the pictures. At 7, she still likes it, but now it's her younger sister's bedtime staple. At 3, Younger Sister can recite the whole story from memory, and loves "reading" it along with me, making the zoop zoop sounds, gobbling cows and sheep, shouting "He'll eat you alive" and singing the song. It's also a good incentive to get her to groom herself. After all, she doesn't want Abiyoyo teeth!
In the end, the formerly ostracized (and isn't it great when your 3-year-old knows what that word means?) child and his father triumph and are welcomed back into the multi-cultural community. As a parent, I can appreciate that as well.
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| "Great Classic!" | 2005-09-30 |
| - Reviewed By User: A1ZZNK67LWBEP0 |
| I have loved this book since working at a child care center. My daughter, now 2 1/2 loves this book also. The graphics are incredible and the story is very moving. A great one to have! |
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| "An instant fav for every one of my preschool classes" | 2005-09-01 |
| - Reviewed By richedie102 |
This book and (and now CD) is a staple in my preschool class since I discovered it 10 years ago. The story and catchy song seem to have some magical power over the 3-5 year old crowd. I teach an integrated preschool class that includes children with special needs. This book (and especially the song)even captures the attention of children on the autistic spectrum who may have difficulty sitting and attending at storytime. I introduced the story to my new crew of kids 3 days ago and we have already heard the CD 6 times at their request. Other reviews have covered the basics of the story. I like the illustrations and have never had a child criticize them in any way. Since this book is for the kids I don't see the reason for the intense critiques of the pictures.
I just had to buy my 4th copy of the hardback book since my latest copy cannot be revived by any more scotch tape. The book just gets alot of action each year. A must have (and great gift) for any child. |
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| "A Tale Perfectly Suited to Young Imaginations" | 2004-10-29 |
| - Reviewed By no_nickname_required |
Abiyoyo was an African folktale, adapted by folk singer Pete Seeger as a bedtime story for his children, and later used in his concerts. The story is brilliant in its gripping simplicity, perfectly suited to capture the attention of small children and spark their imaginations. A little boy who plays the ukulele and his father, who plays tricks on people by using a magic wand to make things disappear are run out of town because they are annoying everyone. Then a giant from the old days, who eats people alive, comes and threatens the town, and it is only the little boy and his dad, using the very talents that had annoyed everyone, who save the day, and become heroes.
This book is the very favorite of my two pre-school boys. Everyday they bring it to me repeatedly asking me to read it to them. Every night, they request it as their last bedtime story (the story is easy to memorize, and lends itself well to personal adaptations). My four-year old will "read" the book himself, turning through the pages and repeating the story that he has memorized. Abiyoyo has captured their imaginations, and even entered into their play.
The book's illustrations are intriguing. As I mentioned, this story was adapted from an African folktale, and the boy and his father are depicted appropriately in character. But the illustrator depicts the town in which they live as a global village, with the residents being of many races and cultures, all wearing classic costumes of those cultures. Originally, this concept put me off a bit - an impossible mish-mash village that seemed little more than a sop to political correctness for kids. But as I watched my kids react to the book, my opinion changed. The multitude of customs stirred their curiosity, and as I answered their questions about each one, I realized that these illustrations provided an excellent tool for introducing them to the concept of different cultures.
This is a quality product - a great, simple story, creative illustrations, and a nice CD included with two versions of Pete Seeger telling the story in his own voice. My boys and I give it our highest recommendation.
Theo Logos |
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| "my son loves this book" | 2003-07-29 |
| - Reviewed By puregore777 |
| This book was read to him on an episode of reading rainbow. He sang ABIYOYo all day and weeks after that. He loves this story. It's great for your little ones because it's folklore stories... and it keeps mom interested too. |
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| "Childhood favorite" | |
| - Reviewed By Anonymous |
| This book contains many elements that would make for an enjoyable child reading experience. These elements include wonderful illustrations, a terrible evil character, and characters of many ethnicities. The element that stands out the most from this story is the incorporation of music and sounds. A song fills at least six pages of the text and is a central factor in the story. Also, the use of onomatopoeia pervades the story with words like "zoop," "ztt," and "clunk." These are great at engaging the senses and the participation of young children. I also like the idea of showing unlikely heroes prevailing over evil in the end. |
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