Gecko in the Garden by Steph Matuku is a reflective fantasy fiction text that weaves humour with cultural knowledge to explore friendship, responsibility, and respect for living creatures. Through the playful experiences of Māta and Ben, the story begins with a small gecko caught by a pet cat and grows into a surprising encounter with a giant, magical mokomoko. As the gecko transforms and confronts danger, the narrative blends imagination with real ideas about camouflage, survival, and protection from predators. Māori perspectives are gently introduced through the idea of mokomoko as kaitiaki, adding depth to the children’s understanding of guardianship and care for nature. Humorous, suspenseful, and richly illustrated, the text supports students to explore fantasy and real-world learning through narrative voice and character action.

The text is ideal for integrated learning across literacy and science, supporting inquiry into native animals, empathy for living things, and the importance of protecting wildlife in Aotearoa New Zealand.

This pack contains a range of response activities complete with activity explainer videos for exploring thinking skills and developing emotional understandings and compassionate inquiry including:

• Blooms Higher Order Thinking activities
• Book Club guide for deepening text discussion
• A range of activities to explore emotional understanding, compassionate inquiry, empathy development, vocabulary and developing skills for self and co-regulation.

Curriculum Phase: Phase 2
Year Level: Year 4

English (NZC Levels 2–3): reading for meaning and enjoyment, identifying character actions and feelings, understanding narrative structure and fantasy elements, exploring dialogue and humour, making connections between ideas

Science – Living World: native animals and habitats, camouflage and adaptation, predators and prey, survival strategies, caring for living things

Social Sciences – Aotearoa New Zealand Histories: Māori perspectives, kaitiakitanga, identity and belonging, caring for places and species

Text type: Fiction, fantasy narrative, narrative story

Key words include: mokomoko, gecko, lizard, fantasy, humour, friends, camouflage, predators, pets, cats, survival, kaitiaki, guardianship, Māori perspectives, identity, relationships, responsibility, respect for animals, nature, imagination, fear, bravery, change, protection