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Plate Full of Color

The Eagle Books are a series of four books that are brought to life by wise animal characters - Mr. Eagle, Miss Rabbit, and Coyote - who engage Rain That Dances and his young friends in the joy of physical activity, eating healthy foods, and learning from their elders about health and diabetes prevention. Plate Full of Color teaches the value of eating a variety of colorful and healthy foods.

Date Released: 8/5/2008
Running time: 8:13
Author: National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (NCCDPHP)
Series Name: We Can Be Stronger Than Diabetes

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This podcast is presented by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. CDC – safer, healthier people.

[Announcer] CDC-TV presents: The Eagle Book Series.

[Narrator] Plate Full of Color, by Georgia Perez.

[Narrator] Rain clouds were starting to roll in over the village. Rain That Dances looked at the sky as he ran to the center of the village. He was meeting his friends Thunder Cloud, Simon, and Little Hummingbird. Simon had just moved in to a home not far from the village. Little Hummingbird lived just across the river.

[Rain That Dances] It may rain today. We may not have much time to meet the great bird.

[Narrator] Then Rain That Dances saw his friends.

[Rain That Dances] Hi. We'd better hurry before the rain starts.

[Little Hummingbird] I cannot wait to meet Mr. Eagle.

[Thunder Cloud] Me too.

[Narrator] When they got closer to the tree stump, they could see Mr. Eagle. They could also see a rabbit with him.

[Rain That Dances] We are here.

[Narrator] The great bird flapped his wings with joy. The rabbit hopped around the tree stump.

[Mr. Eagle] We are happy to see all of you. Today, Miss Rabbit will tell you many things you can do to stay strong and healthy.

[Narrator] The children quickly sat around the tree stump. They listened as Miss Rabbit began to talk.

[Miss Rabbit] Have you ever heard your grandparents speak about Mother Earth?

[Narrator] Little Hummingbird raised her hand like she did in school.

[Little Hummingbird] My grandmother has told me many times that I need to take care of Mother Earth.

[Miss Rabbit] Your grandmother is a very wise woman. You have to take care of Mother Earth because she gives us many gifts.

[Narrator] The children looked at the rabbit and then at each other. Simon raised his hand.

[Simon] What do you mean by "gifts"?

[Thunder Cloud] Yeah! What gifts?

[Miss Rabbit] Mr. Eagle tells you how you need to play and have fun and keep your body moving. You would not be able to do that if you did not have Mother Earth to walk upon. That is a gift. Walking and running on Mother Earth helps keep your spirit strong.

[Narrator] Then the rabbit hopped over to a flower that was growing by the children.

[Miss Rabbit] You see this flower? This flower is a gift from Mother Earth. She grows flowers of many colors for you to enjoy. What else does she give you?

[Narrator] The children looked around and saw the trees and the grass.

[Rain That Dances] I guess she gives us things that grow.

[Miss Rabbit] You are right, Rain That Dances. She also gives us food to eat and water that helps the food to grow. I want to tell you about these foods now. What do you think I eat?

[Rain That Dances] I know -- you eat grass.

[Thunder Cloud] You eat carrots -- I have seen you in my grandmother's garden, eating the carrots.

[Little Hummingbird] I have seen you in the garden, too.

[Narrator] At that, Miss Rabbit laughed.

[Miss Rabbit] I guess I have eaten from many gardens in the village. I eat from the gardens because I want to stay healthy. I also like what grows in the gardens.

[Thunder Cloud] I will not eat things from the garden. Those are for rabbits!

[Narrator] Miss Rabbit hopped around and then she stopped. The fruits and vegetables that grow in the garden are food for you to eat, too. They are very good for all of us. Let's think of what is in the garden. What is growing there?

[Little Hummingbird] Carrots.

[Simon] Green beans.

[Thunder Cloud] Squash!

[Rain That Dances] Cucumbers!

[Little Hummingbird] Pumpkins.

[Simon] Corn!

[Thunder Cloud] And watermelons!

[Miss Rabbit] You are right. I have eaten many of these. And what else have you seen growing?

[Little Hummingbird] We have apple trees in our yard.

[Simon] Mm, my grandmother has wild strawberries and grapes growing in her yard.

[Miss Rabbit] Mother Earth grows the fruits and vegetables for us to eat. Have you eaten many of these fruits and vegetables?

[Little Hummingbird] I have.

[Simon] Me too, especially the strawberries.

[Rain That Dances] I like to eat corn.

[Narrator] Thunder Cloud did not say a word. Miss Rabbit and Mr. Eagle looked at him. He had his head down.

[Mr. Eagle] You do not eat any of these things?

[Thunder Cloud] I eat some fruits, but I do not like vegetables. And I do not eat vegetables that grow in the garden. My mom gets vegetables from the store.

[Narrator] Miss Rabbit hopped over to Thunder Cloud.

[Miss Rabbit] You can get vegetables from the store, but first, the vegetables have to grow in someone's garden. Just as Mother Earth gives us flowers of many colors, she gives us fruit and vegetables of many colors. Carrots are orange; squash is green or yellow; tomatoes, apples, and strawberries are red; grapes and plums are purple; green beans are green; cucumbers are green; pumpkins are orange.

[Thunder Cloud] Why are we talking about fruits and vegetables, anyway?

[Miss Rabbit] Because it is important that growing children eat enough fruits and vegetables every day to grow strong. You told us that you do not like vegetables. Have you ever tasted vegetables?

[Thunder Cloud] No, I don't think they taste good. I just like the other food my mom makes.

[Miss Rabbit] You will never know how they taste unless you taste them to find out. Can I ask you to take one bite of a vegetable to taste it?

[Thunder Cloud] Ugh. Okay. I will try. I want to be healthy like my friends.

[Miss Rabbit] Pick out vegetables of different colors and try one at a time. You may find some that you like. After all, different colors have different tastes. Does corn taste like carrots?

[Miss Rabbit] Eating all kinds of fruits and vegetables is good for all of us.

[Rain That Dances] But how can we eat that many fruits and vegetables every day?

[Simon] Yeah, how can we do that?

[Thunder Cloud] Yeah, how?

[Miss Rabbit] You can eat fruits at breakfast and fruit and vegetables at lunchtime. You can have a fruit or a vegetable for a snack and you can have them for supper. Think of making your plate full of color. It will get easy when you do it for a while. Every time you eat can be a time to eat a fruit or vegetable.

[Rain That Dances] You are right. I like to eat all the time. For a snack, I can eat some strawberries instead of a cookie.

[Simon] I can eat sliced cucumbers instead of potato chips.

[Little Hummingbird] I can eat grapes or a plum instead of candy.

[Narrator] Thunder Cloud stayed sitting down and did not say a word. Mr. Eagle, Miss Rabbit, and the children looked at him, and Rain That Dances asked him --

[Rain That Dances] What can you do to eat a vegetable, Thunder Cloud?

[Narrator] Thunder Cloud stood up slowly. He kicked the dirt and smiled.

[Thunder Cloud] I guess I could try to eat some carrot sticks.

[Children] Yeah, we can do it!

[Mr. Eagle] Yes, you can. Now, you better start for home before the rain begins to fall. Come back tomorrow. I will tell you more ways to stay healthy and strong.

[Rain That Dances] Goodbye, and thank you, Mr. Eagle and Miss Rabbit. We will be here tomorrow.

[Children] Goodbye. Thank you, Miss Rabbit.

[Little Hummingbird] See you tomorrow.

[Mr. Eagle] Join us as we learn more about being healthy and strong in “Tricky Treats.”

For the most accurate health information, visit www.cdc.gov or call 1-800-CDC-INFO, 24/7.

Download this transcript

(35KB) This podcast is presented by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. CDC – safer, healthier people.[Announcer] CDC-TV presents: The Eagle Book Series. [Narrator] Plate Full of Color, by Georgia Perez. [Narrator] Rain clouds were starting to roll in over the village. Rain That Dances looked at the sky as he ran to the center of the village. He was meeting his friends Thunder Cloud, Simon, and Little Hummingbird. Simon had just moved in to a home not far from the village. Little Hummingbird lived just across the river. [Rain That Dances] It may rain today. We may not have much time to meet the great bird. [Narrator] Then Rain That Dances saw his friends. [Rain That Dances] Hi. We'd better hurry before the rain starts. [Little Hummingbird] I cannot wait to meet Mr. Eagle. [Thunder Cloud] Me too. [Narrator] When they got closer to the tree stump, they could see Mr. Eagle. They could also see a rabbit with him. [Rain That Dances] We are here. [Narrator] The great bird flapped his wings with joy. The rabbit hopped around the tree stump. [Mr. Eagle] We are happy to see all of you. Today, Miss Rabbit will tell you many things you can do to stay strong and healthy. [Narrator] The children quickly sat around the tree stump. They listened as Miss Rabbit began to talk. [Miss Rabbit] Have you ever heard your grandparents speak about Mother Earth? [Narrator] Little Hummingbird raised her hand like she did in school. [Little Hummingbird] My grandmother has told me many times that I need to take care of Mother Earth. [Miss Rabbit] Your grandmother is a very wise woman. You have to take care of Mother Earth because she gives us many gifts. [Narrator] The children looked at the rabbit and then at each other. Simon raised his hand. [Simon] What do you mean by "gifts"?[Thunder Cloud] Yeah! What gifts? [Miss Rabbit] Mr. Eagle tells you how you need to play and have fun and keep your body moving. You would not be able to do that if you did not have Mother Earth to walk upon. That is a gift. Walking and running on Mother Earth helps keep your spirit strong. [Narrator] Then the rabbit hopped over to a flower that was growing by the children. [Miss Rabbit] You see this flower? This flower is a gift from Mother Earth. She grows flowers of many colors for you to enjoy. What else does she give you? [Narrator] The children looked around and saw the trees and the grass. [Rain That Dances] I guess she gives us things that grow. [Miss Rabbit] You are right, Rain That Dances. She also gives us food to eat and water that helps the food to grow. I want to tell you about these foods now. What do you think I eat? [Rain That Dances] I know -- you eat grass. [Thunder Cloud] You eat carrots -- I have seen you in my grandmother's garden, eating the carrots. [Little Hummingbird] I have seen you in the garden, too. [Narrator] At that, Miss Rabbit laughed. [Miss Rabbit] I guess I have eaten from many gardens in the village. I eat from the gardens because I want to stay healthy. I also like what grows in the gardens. [Thunder Cloud] I will not eat things from the garden. Those are for rabbits! [Narrator] Miss Rabbit hopped around and then she stopped. The fruits and vegetables that grow in the garden are food for you to eat, too. They are very good for all of us. Let's think of what is in the garden. What is growing there? [Little Hummingbird] Carrots. [Simon] Green beans. [Thunder Cloud] Squash! [Rain That Dances] Cucumbers! [Little Hummingbird] Pumpkins. [Simon] Corn! [Thunder Cloud] And watermelons! [Miss Rabbit] You are right. I have eaten many of these. And what else have you seen growing? [Little Hummingbird] We have apple trees in our yard. [Simon] Mm, my grandmother has wild strawberries and grapes growing in her yard. [Miss Rabbit] Mother Earth grows the fruits and vegetables for us to eat. Have you eaten many of these fruits and vegetables? [Little Hummingbird] I have. [Simon] Me too, especially the strawberries. [Rain That Dances] I like to eat corn. [Narrator] Thunder Cloud did not say a word. Miss Rabbit and Mr. Eagle looked at him. He had his head down. [Mr. Eagle] You do not eat any of these things? [Thunder Cloud] I eat some fruits, but I do not like vegetables. And I do not eat vegetables that grow in the garden. My mom gets vegetables from the store. [Narrator] Miss Rabbit hopped over to Thunder Cloud. [Miss Rabbit] You can get vegetables from the store, but first, the vegetables have to grow in someone's garden. Just as Mother Earth gives us flowers of many colors, she gives us fruit and vegetables of many colors. Carrots are orange; squash is green or yellow; tomatoes, apples, and strawberries are red; grapes and plums are purple; green beans are green; cucumbers are green; pumpkins are orange. [Thunder Cloud] Why are we talking about fruits and vegetables, anyway? [Miss Rabbit] Because it is important that growing children eat enough fruits and vegetables every day to grow strong. You told us that you do not like vegetables. Have you ever tasted vegetables? [Thunder Cloud] No, I don't think they taste good. I just like the other food my mom makes. [Miss Rabbit] You will never know how they taste unless you taste them to find out. Can I ask you to take one bite of a vegetable to taste it? [Thunder Cloud] Ugh. Okay. I will try. I want to be healthy like my friends. [Miss Rabbit] Pick out vegetables of different colors and try one at a time. You may find some that you like. After all, different colors have different tastes. Does corn taste like carrots?