Want a fun, colorful tale to read with children to learn healthy eating habits and practice imagination? This interactive story is for you. After each question in bold, pause to hear the kiddo’s response… and prepare to smile!

The Quest to Be Stronger…
Once there was a woman named Laloo. She was so strong that she could balance on the back of a turtle with one foot for fifty miles, no matter the context… but she wanted to be stronger! Why do YOU think she needed more strength? What was she going to use it for?

An Apple to Help the Journey
As Laloo was whizzing along the river on her turtle transport, an apple named Appo was making her way down a dusty road in the hot sun, her green skin juxtaposed against the pumpkin-orange earth. She had so much love to give, and so many nutrients to confer… but there was no one around for miles and miles. What song did she sing to pass the time while walking?
Suddenly, Appo spotted the spiky green hair of Laloo. “Hello there!” Appo hollered to the turtle and woman pair. “What is it that you are looking for?”
Laloo responded eagerly, “I am on a quest for more strength, but I seem to be stuck in an in-between space, and can’t find how to move forward towards my goal.” What do YOU think will happen next?

Enter the Wise Mermaid…
At that moment, a mermaid named Merma flippered out of the foam where the river meets the shore, flipping her mermaid tail. “We have two problems with the same easy solution!” she cooed, spraying white bubbles around her purple hair and accidentally splashing a nearby octopus, crab, and whale. How did the animals react when they were sprayed?
“Laloo wants strength,” said Merma. “Meanwhile, Appo is full of nutrients since she is a fruit — and she is also very lonely. If Laloo eats Appo, Laloo’s muscles will grow stronger from the apple power, and Appo will become happy because she will get to be part of a new friend’s life!”
Laloo and Appo grinned with glee. “You’ve solved both our problems!” they sang out, and in one giant leap, Appo jumped right into Laloo’s mouth. The woman gulped the fruit right up, and could instantly feel her muscles bulge with strength. Hooray! But wait… her muscles were not quite as big and strong as she wanted them to be. What was missing to achieve her goal?
VIDEO of How These Drawings Were Created:
Vegetable Power!
Merma the mermaid took one look at Laloo and realized what the issue was. Fruit alone is not enough to build maximum power. Laloo needed VEGGIES for full strength! Merma pulled her dragon magic whistle from the water and blew three times. What did her dragon magic whistle sound like?
Out of the river foam, two vibrant figures appeared, smiles on their serene faces. It was Bobo the Broccoli and Wally Carrot, there to save the day! Laloo’s eyes lit up with hearts of love as she paddled her turtle over to the veggie pair. “Would you like to join me in my belly to make massive muscles?” she asked, nervous they might say no.
“WE WOULD LOVE TO!” the crunchy duo exclaimed. With a joyful dance, they made their way over the water to Laloo and galloped into her waiting mouth. Within seconds, Laloo’s muscles bulged with power. The quest was conquered! Which muscle on YOUR body do you want to get extra power?

Laloo thanked Merma, then thanked the new friends who were happily in her tummy, providing energy and strength. As she and her turtle paddled into the distance, she turned to look at YOU and asked: “Which fruit and vegetables will YOU will snack on today to try to be as strong as ME?”
The End.
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The author and artist, Lillie Marshall, is a National Board Certified Teacher of English who has been a public school educator since 2003, and an experienced Reiki practitioner since 2018. All art on this site is original and hand-drawn by Lillie. She launched DrawingsOf.com Educational Cartoons in 2020, building upon the success of her other two sites, AroundTheWorldL.com (established 2009) and TeachingTraveling.com (founded 2010). Subscribe to Lillie’s monthly newsletter, and follow @WorldLillie on social media to stay connected!
Michelle Frank | Flipped-Out Food
Wednesday 5th of August 2020
This is adorable. What a creative way to foster healthy eating habits!
Lillie Marshall
Wednesday 5th of August 2020
That's the plan! And thanks.
Soheila
Tuesday 4th of August 2020
Thanks for sharing! I love the mental health benefits of drawing and I think it would be a great way to get kids away from screens and focused on the present. Plust, these veggie stories may just help them eat more veggies! haha you never know!
Lillie Marshall
Tuesday 4th of August 2020
Right! It's a funny dance with screens and drawing. While paper and pen or pencil is ideal for screen detox, there are some great hybrids, like watching an online tutorial while using paper, or using an electronic drawing tablet like an iPad. Though I'm into digital drawing myself, I'm trying to keep my kids on paper and pen (or crayon) as long as possible so they have the range of skills. Once you go digital it can be hard to go back to paper!
Jeff Albom
Monday 3rd of August 2020
What a fun story and I love the illustrations too. We were lucky, our kids loved fruit and veg without prompting. Either way, they would enjoy the story.
Lillie Marshall
Monday 3rd of August 2020
Yay for kids with a natural love of fresh fruit and veg!
Erin Gierhart
Monday 3rd of August 2020
My kids loved this story, and I love the important lessons it is teaching about the foods that fuel us!
Lillie Marshall
Monday 3rd of August 2020
So glad they liked it!
Farrah
Monday 3rd of August 2020
Aww, I love this! Such a cute way to encourage kids to eat their fruits + veggies! :]
Lillie Marshall
Monday 3rd of August 2020
Thanks! The update is it's worked two days in a row to send my kids scurrying to the kitchen to munch on carrots, broccoli, and apples, so I'm quite thrilled!