Deep in the rainforest, in a place you can only get to along a single, narrow path lined with ancient trees, there is a school that no one in the world knows about except the people who live there. The school is run by a wise and kind teacher called Pajé Iru. In the local language, the word pajé means a shaman, a guardian of traditions and stories. Pajé Iru carries a magic drum which he calls Tupã after the mythical spirit of thunder and lightning.
Each day at school begins with a lesson about the nature, history and traditions of the rainforest. In these lessons, Pajé Iru plays a special rhythm on his magic drum. Each time he does so, it summons a creature from Brazilian mythology to help teach the students something important about the world around them.
This morning, as usual, the children had arrived at the School of the Magic Drum in the middle of the Amazon rainforest, buzzing with curiosity and asking their teacher hundreds of questions. Their first lesson was about game tracks. Pajé Iru showed them different pictures of paw prints, hoof prints and other animal tracks, and the children had to guess which animal they belonged to.
“This one’s a tapir!” Pedro exclaimed, pointing to a wide hoof print in one of the pictures.
“No it’s not, that’s a jaguar!” little Malou protested.
Pajé Iru smiled. “Almost, but you’re actually both wrong. That one is a capybara, the largest rodent in the world. Now, how about we go and look for some tracks out in the forest, rather than just looking at pictures?”
The children happily agreed and soon they were all gathered on the path in the forest. The damp air was saturated with the scent …