THE LITTLE ENGINES THAT ROARED
                                                A nutrition story by Jean Warren


Once upon a time there was a car named Mo. He just got a new paint job and new head lights, he kept his body washed and polished.  There was no doubt about it.  Mo was a good looking car.

The only problem was, Mo didn’t run very well.  He would spend hours dreaming about running fast but whenever he went out, the other cars would speed right by him.

One day, Mo went to the car doctor.  “What’s the matter with me doc,” I look good but I don’t have any energy.”

“Mo, you can’t just keep the outside of your body looking good, you have to groom the inside  in order to run properly.  There is sludge in your gas tank, your spark plugs are rusty and you are low on oil.  No engine runs properly if it is not taken care of.”

Here are some rules, I want you to remember.
            #1  Don’t let your engine dry out.
            #2  Give your engine good fuel.
            #3  Keep your engine tuned.                  

Mo started taking better care of himself.  He made sure his engine was well oiled.  He only put good fuel in his gas tank and he regularly tuned his engine.

After a while he started to feel better.  He wasn’t sluggish any more.  When he went out for a ride, his engine ran good and he had no problem keeping up with the other cars.  Now, he not only looked good but he felt good, too.

Down the street from Mo lived a boy named Tommy. Tommy was a nice looking boy. He got regular haircuts, he took baths to keep clean, he always wore clean clothes. 

The only problem was, Tommy never felt as good as he looked.  He had a hard time running and keeping up with other children.

One day, Tommy went to the doctor.  “What’s the matter with me doc?  I look good but I don’t have any energy.”

“Tommy, you can’t just keep the outside of your body looking good.  You have to groom the inside of your body to keep it running properly.  You are low on vitamins, your skin is dry, and you are overweight.  No body runs good if it is not taken care of.”

Here are some rules, I want you to remember.
            #1  Don’t let your body dry out, drink lots of water.
            #2  Give your body healthy foods full of vitamins.
            #3  Keep your body tuned, get lots of exercise.

Tommy started taking better care of himself.  He drank lots of water, stopped eating junk food and started to exercise.  After a while Tommy started to feel better. He had more energy.  When he ran with his friends he had no trouble keeping up with them.  Now he not only looked good but he felt good, too.

VROOM -now Tommy and Mo’s engines both roar!

[Discuss with your children how important it is to take care of the inside of their bodies.  Would a car run good if you gave it bad gas?  How are good food and good gas alike?  How is water for our bodies and oil for a car’s engine alike?  How can you keep your body tuned or in good shape?]

Here are some rhymes to help your children remember to take care of their engines.

                     MO  
Mo was a car that looked real good.
But his engine didn’t run, like it should.

He went to the doctor and the doctor sighed –
“Mo take care of what’s inside!”

When Mo gave his engine what he should,
His engine perked up and it ran real good.
                                                Jean Warren

                     TOMMY
Tommy was a boy that looked real good
But he didn’t always, feel so good.

He went to the doctor and the doctor sighed,
“Tommy take care of what’s inside!”

When Tommy gave his body what he should,
His body perked up and he felt real good.
                                               Jean Warren