 Trickey Treats by Georgia Perez. Good morning, brother son. The great bald eagle opened his eyes and flapped his wings to start a new day. He flew over and circled the village as he did every day. Below he could see the village coming to life. People began moving about to begin their busy day. Today was the last day Rain That Dances and his friends would meet with Mr. Eagle. I better take some snacks with me in case we get hungry. Rain That Dances built his backpack with snacks and water and ran to meet his friends. Little Hummingbird was already waiting for Rain That Dances. They could see Thunder Cloud and Simon running towards them. Are we ready to go? Yes, and we have plenty of snacks this time because we all saw the food today. Look, there's Mr. Eagle. They all looked up to the sky and waved to their friend. They were happy and wanted to hear what Mr. Eagle had to say today. The great bald eagle looked down and saw his friends. He flew down to circle closer above them and then flew ahead. The children started running to keep up with the eagle. As the eagle flew closer to the tree stump, he saw Miss Rabbit and someone with her. He thought to himself, who could that be? It was Coyote. The eagle knew someone else would be joining them, but he did not know it would be Coyote. As the eagle came to rest on the tree stump, he asked, Coyote, why are you here today? Miss Rabbit told me you were talking to the children about staying healthy. I just wanted to join in. Is that okay? Now, Coyotes are known to be sneaky animals. They like to trick anyone they come close to. Mr. Eagle thought about this for a minute and decided it would be okay for the Coyote to stay. You can stay Coyote, but I do not want you to trick the children. Thank you. Coyote gave a sneaky smile as he looked down the hill and saw the children running up the path. Rain that dances, little hummingbird, thundercloud, and Simon arrived, laughing and waving at their friends. This is Coyote. He wants to learn about staying healthy, too. Hello, Miss Rabbit and Coyote. We brought some snacks today in case we get hungry. Well, that is good because that is what I want to talk to you about today. I know everyone likes to snack, but do you know there are everyday snacks and snacks that are to be eaten only sometimes? Coyote lifted his front paw and stopped the eagle from talking. What do you mean by every day sometimes? I think we should eat anything we want to when we are hungry. This made Miss Rabbit hop into the air and Mr. Eagle flap his wings. They both looked at Coyote. This is why I want to talk to the children. I think the best way to talk about this is to see what you have in your backpacks. I went to the store with my mom and I think we did a good job picking some healthy snacks. Rain that dances opened his backpack. First, he pulled out some apple slices. How is this for an everyday snack? Gee, that is such a small snack. That is not enough, even for me. Hooray for you rain that dances. This is a good size and a healthy snack food for every day. Rain that dances smiled and gave his friends a high five. Then he pulled out some carrots that he had helped his mom cut up and put into bags. How is this? Perfect. Those look delicious and they are something that you can grow yourself in a garden. Coyote was disappointed at what he saw. Wait, I'll be right back. Coyote ran off to the village. A short time later, he came back with a backpack in his mouth. Where did you get that? Oh, I found this beside the road and it didn't seem to belong to anyone. I bet there are some great treats in this bag. The children, Miss Rabbit and Mr. Eagle looked at the coyote and then the bag. With one shake, treats tumbled out. Look, now this is a great snack. Coyote picked up a bag of cookies and waved the bag under the children's noses. Can I have some? The great bald eagle knew that the coyote was trying to trick the children. Thunder cloud, it is not safe to eat food that you find lying around. Let's see what else rain that dances has in his backpack. Rain that dances pulled out a bottle of water. The great bald eagle was happy to see that his little friend had brought water instead of fruit drink or soda pop. Coyote just shook his head and looked to see what else fell out of the bag he had found. I have soda pop and potato chips. That drink is a sometimes food because it has too much sugar in it. Water is better. Water is a gift from Mother Earth and something we should have every day. Potato chips are a sometimes food. Little hummingbird put her hands on her hips and looked at the coyote. Coyote, I know what you were trying to do. You were trying to trick us and you better stop it. We will listen to Mr. Eagle so that we can grow up strong and stay healthy. The coyote lowered his head. The eagle was proud of little hummingbird. Now, can we see what you have in your backpack, Thunder Cloud? Well, I was in a hurry this morning and now I think I didn't make the best choices. You know, sometimes we don't always choose the best snacks. But we can still eat the sometimes foods once in a while, just not all the time. So what did you bring? Thunder Cloud pulled out a bag of sugared cereal. Now, let's look at the cereal. What does the cereal have on it? Sugar. Yes, that's right. I like this cereal. Because of the sugar, this is not an everyday food. How about these cherries? You made a good choice. No, that wasn't hard, was it? No, but you do have to think about it sometimes. Thunder Cloud was happy that he had made a good snack choice. When picking a snack or a treat, we need to make sure it does not have a lot of sugar in it. We also need to remember that small amounts are better. Fruits and vegetables every day make for healthy snacks, too. I am very proud of all my new friends. You have taken the time to learn how to stay healthy. Coyote, I hope you will not try to trick the children into eating something you know is not good for them. And I hope you will return that backpack where you found it. I am sorry, I tried to trick the children. When I see the children as I go through the village, I promise not to trick them. Mr. Eagle looked at the children, Ms. Rabbit and Coyote. So what have we learned today? I know, eat fruits and vegetables. Choose everyday food snacks and eat small amounts. Eat sometimes food less often. Drink water and don't take something that does not belong to you. Move your body every day to help stay healthy in body and spirit. Try growing your own vegetables. Mr. Eagle was so proud of his little friends. I will always be flying above to see how you are doing. And when you see me, you will remember what I have told you. Now, let us share the snacks that you were brought today. Coyote, you need to return the backpack. It belongs to someone. We will surprise the person by putting a new bottle of water and carrot seeds in the bag. And we will put a book through the eyes of the eagle in there, the book about us. They all sat down and enjoyed their snack together. As the children were leaving, they turned and waved goodbye to Mr. Eagle, Ms. Rabbit and Coyote. Rain that dances left with a big smile on his face. He and his friends would tell the people in the village about the ways they could stay healthy. Rain that dances thought to himself. Diabetes might even go away someday. Mr. Eagle will no longer be sad as he watches us from above. As brother's son began to go down behind the mountain to end another day, Mr. Eagle had a happy thought and said out loud. My new friends that have joined us to hear my stories will be strong in body. And like mine, their spirits will soar high with happiness knowing that their future is bright. So until another time, I will say goodbye. The end.