The chips were down, when we drew inspiration from an unlikely superhero for our World Book Day celebrations on Thursday 5 March.

Pupils from Nursery through to Year 2 at Heacham Infant School took part in the annual event, which featured a range of story-based activities themed around the exploits of ‘Supertato’, the potato superhero from the series of the same name created by author-illustrators Sue Hendra and Paul Linnet.

The children also enjoyed a host of creative activities throughout the day, which ended with a Reading Cafe where they were joined by parents and carers – and had the opportunity to design their own superhero.

“This year’s theme was Supertato, bringing plenty of superhero fun to our classrooms,” explained Claire Dack, Assistant Headteacher at our school, which is a member of the West Norfolk Academies Trust.

“Our infant school celebrated World Book Day with a fun-filled programme of story-based activities inspired by Supertato. Children also took part in a range of creative literacy activities throughout the day, including designing their own book covers, writing stories, and completing themed story challenges.”

“The day ended with a special Reading Cafe where parents were warmly invited to join us as we shared the Supertato story together,” she continued. "A highlight of the celebration was our ‘Design Your Own Supertato’, where, during the Reading Cafe, children created their very own superhero character using a real potato.”

In addition, staff and pupils spent the day dressed as their favourite book characters, with some choosing to embrace the Supertato theme.

“There was a competition for the best-dressed costume, with the winner receiving a book token to spend at our upcoming school book fair,” said Mrs Dack. “Staff also got involved, arriving in a whole host of creative costumes inspired by the story, including carrots, broccoli, and other familiar characters from Supertato.”

“World Book Day is an important opportunity to promote and share a love of books and reading,” she added.

“At our infant school, we believe that fostering a passion for stories at an early age helps to build imagination, creativity, and essential literacy skills.

“By celebrating together in such an engaging way, we hope to inspire our children to become lifelong readers.”