authentic voice
— A child's meditation on the moon as companion, comparing it to stars, dreams, a howling dog, and a soft pillow in a series of short, fragmented verses.
— A girl writes to her absent friend Tom during a school day, memories of a lake and a letter breaking through her attempts to focus on lessons.
— A Purple courier delivering documents in the Forbidden Strip—where Purple and Green people live together—meets Unum, whose greyish-brown skin and perspective challenge everything she's been taught about segregation.
— A girl raised in the Land of the Clouds dreams of her forgotten parents on Earth, while learning about a prophecy and the dangerous Organization to Control Time.
— A girl who sees rainbows in unconventional shapes struggles between staying true to her unique vision and conforming to others' expectations of normalcy.
— A peacock appears on a suburban Virginia roof, struts like it owns the place, calls to another peacock in the yard, then flies away.
— A child observes the grain patterns in a piece of wood under lamplight, seeing landscapes of mountains, rivers, trees, and worms in its natural markings.
— A young aspiring animal rescuer brings home a worm that dies overnight, teaching her that wild creatures belong in their natural habitats, not bedrooms.
— A lonely guard dragon, hardened by years of servitude, finds unexpected companionship when a starving fox pup steals food and curls up beside him for warmth.
— Poor mouse twins receive a visit from the wealthy royal family, whose scorn prompts their mother to declare she's richer in joy than they are in gold.