Submitted by Ms. Tess!
I’m a sucker for a book about a magic ukulele (I happen to think all ukuleles are magical). Unfortunately the only one I know of is Abiyoyo by Pete Seeger with illustrations by Michael Hays. Fortunately, it’s a fantastic piece of children’s literature. Pete Seeger adapted this story from an African folktale. He says that when he’d put his kids to sleep, he’d sing them a lullaby, but “when children get to be three of four years old, they realize that lullabyes are propaganda songs” and they’d demand a story instead! Abiyoyo is about a boy with a ukulele, and his magician father. The folks in their town don’t appreciate the boy’s ukulele playing, or his father’s practical jokes involving making things disappear with a “Zoop!” of his magic wand. That is, until the giant, Abiyoyo, comes. Everyone is petrified, as Abiyoyo shakes the ground and swallows livestock whole. Everyone except the boy and his father. They have a plan, that involves that ukulele and that magic wand, that will rid the world of the terrible Abiyoyo, and make them town heroes! This is a wonderful story, with beautiful pictures, and a rollicking ukulele soundtrack. Check it out today! See this book listed in our catalog
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