Once upon a time, there was a group of children who loved literature: Blue! Among books, stories, and characters, the children discovered that there were few titles with indigenous protagonists or written by indigenous authors, especially in English. This absence aroused curiosity, and curiosity paved the way for investigation. This is how the bilingual book Important Indigenous People to Know came about, a collective production that intertwines memory, language, and care for the world.

“Literature is a powerful tool for expanding knowledge about education for ethnic-racial relations. The lack of titles featuring indigenous protagonists provoked the children, and from there, we began our research,” said Eduarda Aranha, a teacher at Blue. The class immersed themselves in discoveries about Brazil’s indigenous peoples, paying special attention to individuals and their trajectories: doctors, teachers, writers, activists, and artists. The map of the country was transformed into a large living panel, on which the children placed names and stories across the territory, bringing together geography, culture, and belonging. “The children began to understand that there are indigenous people in all areas of society and everywhere in Brazil,” explained Eduarda.

This journey connects with the group’s annual project, “This is Me Now and Then,” dedicated to preserving memories and rites of passage from early childhood education to elementary school. Memory, ancestry, and feelings that emerge from this encounter are present in these two projects. Everything is connected,” said Eduarda. The teacher also says that the research was connected to the group’s sustainability work: Blue acts as a “guardian of seedlings” in the Atlantic Forest throughout the year, strengthening in practice the ethic of caring for nature, a dimension historically defended by indigenous peoples.

While researching and listening to stories, the children also experienced the literacy process intensely. “Literacy was experienced as a social practice integrated into the project, not as something separate,” explained Carolina Fioco, who is also a teacher in the group. Working with written language happened naturally and meaningfully. Before creating the illustrated map, the children drew up a list of indigenous elements they would like to represent. Then, they created the map legend, which is a text genre they were studying, in conventional writing, with the support of their teachers. “These were incredibly enriching moments of reflection: observing letters, sounds, patterns, parts of words that reappear in others, all of which expanded my repertoire,” said Carolina.

In the second stage, already in English, the class collaborated as a group to write about each indigenous personality. The children organized their ideas orally, and the teachers acted as scribes, transforming speech into writing. “We reinforce the social function of writing: we do not write just for the sake of writing. We write to communicate something important to people,” said Carolina. With each revision, the children identified what needed to be added or adjusted, exercising authorship and reader awareness.

The same attentive and curious gaze was there when they drew the illustrations. From the outset, the children were invited to observe images and objects related to indigenous cultures, such as dwellings, clothing, graphics, body paintings, instruments, and games. “We drew attention to details and ways of doing things, relating form, function, and culture,” explained Carolina. The children also studied skin colors, mixing paints until they achieved shades that were closer to reality. “Yellow with red for warmer skin tones, blue to darken, variations with yellow for more yellowish tones,” explained Eduarda. “The drawing was not just a visual reproduction, it was memory in action: each stroke was accompanied by explanations and memories of the stories they had heard.”

When it came time to choose which personalities would be included in the book, the children already knew many of them. The research, images, and biographies were displayed in the room, and the names became part of the group’s routine. The book features Renata Machado, known as Aratykyra, a journalist who interviews and writes about the rights and culture of indigenous peoples, and professor, writer, and activist Ailton Krenak, among others. The decision was collective and emotional: “The criteria were affinity, admiration, and how much they already knew about each career path,” said Eduarda. The class also received a visit from the school’s music teacher, Vinícius Medrado, who is also a writer, and talked about the stages of creating a book, from writing to printing, inspiring the children to take on their own role as authors.

The launch was a story unto itself. Our school became a place of celebration and sharing, with families in attendance and the participation of Brazilian Culture teacher Amanda Ribeiro, who led activities involving Guarani Mbya singing and body painting inspired by graphic designs. The children presented their project, watched the digital version of the book on the big screen, and received a printed copy of their work. “Seeing their eyes light up, hearing each child explain the map and talk about the personalities was exciting. Families understood the importance of education for ethnic-racial relations,” said Eduarda. “Our goal is to raise anti-racist individuals: children who understand that there is no place for racism or segregation, and who recognize diversity as a source of wealth.”

Blue’s book reminds us that literacy means giving authorship, that drawing means expressing ideas and feelings through images, that sustainability is an everyday practice, and that school is a place to make up for absences and open up new paths. As teacher Carolina said, “we write to communicate something important.” As the children of Blue have let us know, there are indigenous people we all need to know, not just in books, but in the life we share.

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