Once upon a time there was a dexterous little creature named Legume. He lived in a world where all creatures had appendages to help them move around, but Legume was special because he had a hinge joint which allowed him to bend in ways that no one else could!
One day while playing, Legume's ligament got stretched too far and he couldn't straighten out his appendage. The other creatures tried to help but they couldn't fix it.
Then a wise old vertebrate told Legume about the magic of bone marrow. "If you eat lots of legumes," he said, "your bone marrow will become strong and your ligament will heal."
So Legume went on a journey to find the finest legumes in the land. He ate so many that his bone marrow grew stronger than ever before and his ligament was healed!
From that day on, Legume was known as the most dexterous creature in the land. And he lived happily ever after, surrounded by his favorite cartilage-rich foods.

Reflections

1. What was special about Legume's appendage?
2. How did Legume heal his ligament?
3. What did Legume become known as in the end?
4. Why was bone marrow important in the story?
5. Can you think of another food that might help make your bones stronger?