Shadusa thinks that he is the strongest man in the world in this Hausa folktale from Nigeria, telling his wife Shettu that he should be called 'Master Man.' She warns him about the dangers of boasting, but to no avail. When she brings him news of another man already called 'Master Man,' Shadusa sets out to challenge him for the right to the name. Little does he realize the trouble he is getting into, confronting a terrible giant in the process, and only escaping because the giant is confronted by another of his own size...

According to author Aaron Shepard, his retelling of Master Man: A Tall Tale of Nigeria is based upon a number of sources, including R. Sutherland Rattray's Hausa Folk-lore, Customs, Proverbs, etc. and Frank Edgar's Hausa Tales and Traditions. The story here is humorous, offering both a cautionary tale about the dangers of boasting, and a pourquoi tale explaining the origin of thunder. The accompanying artwork from David Wisniewski, who won a Caldecott Medal for his Golem, is done in cut paper, and is vividly colorful. Although I did appreciate their artistry, somehow the illustrations here weren't as appealing as in some of Wisniewski's other titles, and I didn't care for the design of the book, with its use of panels, and different colored text and speech bubbles. Aesthetic tastes vary of course, so I'd still recommend this one to young folklore enthusiasts, and to readers interested in Hausa stories. ( )

Shadusa is the master man. He sees himself as the strongest man in the tribe and is convinced there is no other, until he meets his match. Shadusa's wife Shettu warns him to take heed of his boastfulness, but it is to no avail as he meets his match. a Nigerian folktale that teaches the lesson of boastfulness, and false pride. Other than the graphic cartoon like nature that gave it some appeal, I found the book lacking in character as I often wondered what lesson a child could take from this other then there is always someone bigger and stronger than you are ( )

There once was a man named Shadusa, who was very strong. He began calling himself “Master Man.” His wife warned him not to boast, for there would always be someone stronger than him. Shadusa learns that there is a man in another village who calls himself Master Man, and he sets out to teach him a lesson. Shadusa sees the other Master Man and is instantly terrified. He is huge!! Shadusa runs away as fast as he can, while Master Man is chasing him. He runs into a stranger, who also calls himself Master Man. The two men battle to see who is truly Master Man, and they are still battilng in the clouds today. When they fight, we hear thunder.
I thought this was an interesting story about arrogance. All of these men believe they are strongest, and they will not rest until they have proven it. In the end, no good comes from this need to be right. I think that’s a very important lesson to teach students, and I would love to have this book in my future classroom. ( )

Master Man is the retelling of a traditional Hausa tale. This tall tale tells the creation of thunder. The book begins with Shadusa proclaiming he is the master man because he is very strong and has big muscles. His wife, Shettu, tells him not call himself that because there is always someone stronger. Shettu proves she was right when she goes to a well to get water, but a baby is the only one strong enough to get it. His mother says it is no surprise that the baby is so strong because his father is Master Man. Shades becomes very angry and goes to meet the other man, but gets scared when he sees how big he is. As Shadusa escapes, the master man sees him and chases him. While he is running away, Shadusa meets a stranger who is even bigger than master man. The stranger and master man battle it out leaped into the sky where they still fight. Whenever the fight, this causes thunder. This book uses imagery, exaggeration, symbolism, and connotation to tell the story. The words that exclaim a movement made by the master man are big and all uppercase letters. They stand out. Because of the way the words are displayed on the page, it makes the book fun and interesting. It forces you to read with emphasis and emotion. The theme of Master Man is never be too arrogant. Each man thought they were strongest, but another man always came along and was stronger. Shadusa had too much pride and wanted to prove he was the master man, but ended up almost getting killed by the man. I really enjoyed this book. The illustrations and the placement of the words on the page would definitely appeal to children. ( )

Shadua thinks he is the strongest man in the world. He thinks he is so strong, he wants to be called Master Man. That was all until he met his match. He hears of another man calling himself Master Man as well. When Shadua goes on a search to find this man, he finds himself in a lot of trouble instead.

This book would be great to do reader's theatre with because of how the book is set up. It is set up almost like a comic book. I really liked the illustrations in this book as well. It is important to teach about different cultures and this book is good in the sense that it does that, but also adds comedy into the book. It is a fun read-along. ( )