Classroom Materials
A passionate advocate of authentic indigenous Hawaiian voices in media, Lehua is a frequent speaker at schools, conferences, and symposiums including the American Library Association’s Annual Conference, SL ComicCon, FanX, Storymakers, ANWA, LTUE, and at UH Manoa. She teaches writing workshops through the Lehua Writing Academy and mentors emerging authors and small presses. To inquire about an appearance or school visit, please email her at
Events@LehuaParker.com.
For lists of authentically Hawaiian and Pacific Islander books for all ages click here.
Discussion Guides
Set in contemporary Hawai’i, the Niuhi Shark Saga is an upper MG/YA magical realism trilogy told from a Native Hawaiian/Kanaka Maoli perspective. Even though a single drop of water on his skin burns like lava, Zader has bigger things to worry about as he discovers who he really is and the truth about a secret hidden in plain sight.
One Boy, No Water
Discussion Guide
One Shark, No Swim
Discussion Guide
One Truth, No Lie
Discussion Guide
Reflection & Comprehension by Chapter
One Boy, No Water
Reflection & Comprehension Questions by Chapter
These questions can be used as group discussion starters or as short answer essay questions to measure reader comprehension and enhance literary analysis skills.
Hawaiian Pidgin English Word Search
Hawaiian Pidgin English Dictionary
Character Haiku Poems
While not strictly traditional Japanese haiku poems, these short poems give a little insight to each of the characters and follow the 5/7/5 syllable rule.
Zader
Knife blade in moonlight,
Stink of fear on ocean breeze,
Uncle, are you there?
____________________
His lines bold neon,
mine delicate lace. Who will
be our teacher’s pet?
___________________
Next year all alone
No Jay, Char Siu to lean on
Just a punching bag.
___________________
Letter in the mail
From Ridgemont Academy
Too afraid to open.
__________________
Shave ice tingles, bites
lips, tongue, cheeks. Strawberry frost
chills all the way down.
_________________
Black ink glides and dances,
a girl with flowing hair peeks
out. My sister? Perhaps.
_________________
Curl of wood, easy
like butter. Shave fin, tail, nose,
eye, scale. Free the fish.
_________________
Essay: pen scratches,
doodle, sketch, dream, shake, erase, erase,
sigh. Rather fly kite.
_________________
The shark gnashes, swallows,
chunks slide greasily downward,
is it all a dream?
_________________
Jay
Mountain of water,
churning sand and reef below,
no can breathe. Wipe out.
______________________
A bikini smiles
sunlight on golden tan, the
whispered promise sure.
______________________
Char Siu
Now I’d rather be
sliding down a waterfall,
no cactus landing.
__________________
Eye lid tape, lip gloss,
high heel wobble, being a girl
is not for tillies.
__________________
Itchy wrist lei tight,
wiggle up ti leaf skirt, wait
for the drum beat. Dance.
_________________
Uncle Kahana
Talk story time, pau
for now. Sun sets on Piko
Point. Aloha pō.
______________________
‘Opihi, limu,
off the rocks. Sort, wash, shake, salt;
Open up your mouth.
______________________
Cookies on ti leaf,
Sprunch in a coconut cup.
Menehune snack.
______________________
'Ilima
Nose under Zader’s
hand. Flip. Nudge. Lick. Flip. Nudge. Sigh.
Belly rub at last.
______________________________
Dainty footsteps pause,
dance away from ocean spray,
lick the salty air.
______________________________
'Ālika
Slam, fist, grind, nose, pop,
blood gushes, grab tee-shirt quick,
limp to the office.
____________________________
Aunty Lehua’s Scoops
The Niuhi Shark Saga is set in Hawaii and tells the story of Zader and his adventures as he discovers who–and what–he really is. Most of the descriptions of island life in the series are true. However, in some areas Aunty Lehua stretched the truth just a little bit. Here’s the real scoop!
Niuhi Sharks
In One Boy, No Water…
Niuhi sharks are sharks that are aware of themselves as predators and can choose whether or not to bite humans. Niuhi sharks can appear as human.
The real scoop…
The Hawaiian word niuhi simply means big man-eating shark and is often translated as large tiger shark.
There are hundreds of legends, stories, and myths throughout the Pacific about sharks that can turn into humans, humans that can turn into sharks, guardian spirits of ancestors who assume the shape of a shark, and demi-god children born to a human and shark parent. Many of these stories can be found on the Internet.
In ancient Hawaiian legends sharks masquerading as humans had a secret: on their backs was the large, gaping mouth of a real shark! When in human form, shark men would hide their shark mouths under capes made of leaves, feathers, or kapa cloth. Usually shark men were discovered when someone removed the cape.
Since big predatory sharks tend to hunt and travel alone, most Hawaiian shark shape-shifter stories are about a particular individual and not about whole societies of shape-shifting sharks. The Niuhi Shark People of Hohonukai only exist in the novels.
In the Niuhi Shark Saga, Uncle Kahana and Nili-boy recommend wearing ti leaf leis or special tattoos to ward off sharks. While Hawaiian tattoo traditions do include patterns used to honor shark ‘aumakua as well as to identify and protect the wearers in shark infested waters, there really isn’t an anti-shark bite tattoo, and while there are also many traditions about the healing and protective properties of ti leaves, ti leaves and ti leaf leis are not worn to ward off niuhi sharks.
In Hawaii, children are taught that the best way to avoid shark bites is to follow a few simple guidelines:
- Don’t swim with an open wound.
- Don’t swim in harbors or near the mouths of rivers.
- Don’t swim in murky water.
- Don’t swim at dusk, dawn, or at night
- When spearfishing, keep your catch away from your body. Use a long tethering line or get things back in the boat quickly.
- Be aware of your surroundings. If you feel uncomfortable, get out of the water.
- If you see a shark, remain calm. Watch the shark’s body language. Exit the water slowly.
Sometimes people with ravenous appetites, particularly for meat, are called niuhi, so the next time someone says you’re pigging out, say no, you’re really eating like a niuhi shark!
Lua
In One Boy, No Water…
Lua is ancient form of Hawaiian hand-to-hand combat. It was taught in schools by Lua masters who could perform amazing feats of strength and agility.
The real scoop…
Lua is real! Known anciently as Kapu Ku‘ialua, Lua was traditionally taught to young Hawaiian nobles and warriors, both male and female. Lua ‘ai forms focus on breaking and dislocating bones, locking joints, performing nerve strikes, and using various weapons such as shark tooth clubs, spears, and slings. Lua students were also taught to heal using massage and herbal remedies and to use spiritual forces against their enemies.
In ancient times Lua warriors plucked all their hair (girls, too!) and put a thin layer of coconut oil all over their bodies so they could slip out of holds during battle. The word for Lua master,‘ōlohe, literally means hairless.
Kept secret, sacred, and hidden in legends and taught underground since the mid-1800s, Lua is experiencing a cultural re-birth. Like many martial art forms, Lua also embodies a philosophy. It teaches traditional Hawaiian ideas such as remaining pono in all one’s thoughts, actions, and feelings.
Because so much of Lua is still considered sacred and secret and is not shared outside Lua schools, be wary of websites or people claiming to know all about it. For more information about authentic Hawaiian Lua practices, check out this book:
Lua, Art of the Hawaiian Warrior
By Richard Paglinawan, Mitchell Eli, Moses Kalauokalani, and Jerry Walker
Bishop Museum Press, 2005
Customizing a Surfboard
In One Boy, No Water…
You can customize a surfboard with paint pens, a few basic supplies, and a little imagination.
The real scoop…
It really is that easy to create your own works of art on a surfboard! There are many sites on the internet that give step by step instructions on how to repair and customize surfboards using paint pens and spray guns. Check ‘em out.
Private Schools in Hawai'i
In One Boy, No Water…
8th grade is a big year for applying to private schools in Hawaii and the pressure to get in can be intense.
The real scoop…
Some schools are privately endowed and most offer scholarships, so top students can get an amazing education at a fraction of the real cost. But do Ridgemont Academy and the HISA exams really exist? Nope. Pure shibai!