Curupira - Brazilian

My home is the big, green rainforest. The trees are so tall, tall, tall. Colorful birds sing happy songs and playful monkeys swing from the vines. My name is Curupira, and I have a very special secret. My hair is bright red like a fiery sunset. And my feet are on backwards. This helps me play fun tricks on anyone who wants to hurt my animal friends. This is the story of Curupira, the guardian of the forest. It’s my story, and I am so happy to tell it to you.

One sunny afternoon, I heard a loud noise. Boom. Boom. Boom. It was a hunter, and he was chopping down a young tree. The little animals were scared and ran to hide. The colorful parrots flew away. I knew I had to do something to help my home. I zipped past him, fast as the wind. Zip. Zoom. I left my funny, backwards footprints in the soft dirt. The hunter saw my tracks. He thought I was going one way, but I was really going the other. He followed my footprints deeper and deeper into the woods, getting lost, lost, lost.

To confuse the hunter even more, I hid behind a big, green leaf. I whistled a tricky tune that seemed to come from everywhere. Tweet. Tweet. Tweet. The hunter got so dizzy he spun in a circle. Around and around he went. Finally, he sat down and promised, 'I will never harm this forest again.' I smiled and watched him find his way home. I don't want to scare people, I just want everyone to be a friend to the trees and animals. For many years, people have told my story to remember to protect our wonderful world. So next time you see a tall tree, remember me, and be a guardian of the forest, too.