Superhero by Leki Jackson-Bourke is a reflective fiction text that weaves personal experience with cultural identity to explore belonging, courage, and pride in Pacific heritage. Through the voice of a young narrator preparing for a school Halloween celebration, the story traces his struggle with embarrassment, financial limits, and fear of standing out. Drawing on family history and ancestral values from Niue, Tonga, and Sāmoa, the narrative shows how cultural knowledge and whānau support help him reframe what it means to be a “superhero.” Rich in dialogue and visual storytelling, the text highlights the tension between assimilation and self-acceptance, revealing how one brave choice can transform a child’s sense of identity and confidence.

The text is ideal for integrated learning across literacy, health, and social sciences, supporting inquiry into identity, culture, resilience, and belonging in contemporary 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 3
Year Level: Year 4–5

English (NZC Levels 3–4): reading for meaning and critical thinking, analysing narrative voice and perspective, understanding reflective fiction and visual language, exploring dialogue and theme, synthesising events and ideas

Health and Physical Education: identity, wellbeing, resilience, relationships, confidence, emotional awareness

Social Sciences – Aotearoa New Zealand Histories: Pacific identities and cultures, continuity and change, family and community values, belonging, migration and heritage

Text type: Fiction, personal recount, reflective narrative, graphic-style narrative

Key words include: ancestors, classmates, culture, family, Halloween, identity, Niue, resilience, Sāmoa, school, titi lau tī, Tonga, traditions, belonging, confidence, heritage