authentic voice
— A reluctant teenager dragged to a Ghanaian village for Christmas discovers friendship and joy through a local tradition of chasing chickens.
— A matsutake mushroom narrates its journey from a Tibetan forest where it's harvested by a girl named Tashi, to a New York market, and finally to a new forest home...
— A grieving girl finds solace climbing her oak tree and discovers unexpected connection when a new teacher arrives who values her love of words.
— A mute girl who finds solace in nature befriends a mountain cat family, discovers she can communicate telepathically with them, and runs away from her divorcing parents who plan to...
— Observers watch cockatoos cross water at dusk, counting them like stars as they journey from hiding places to trees beyond, ending with a rebellious teenager bird.
— A girl dreams of descending through ocean layers to encounter a mysterious jellyfish, then wakes to ordinary life while harboring her grandfather's secret journal of undiscovered sea creatures.
— A mute girl who finds solace in nature discovers she can communicate telepathically with a mountain cat, then runs away when her divorcing parents abandon her.
— During a summer visit to China, a girl who hates bugs learns from her butterfly-loving aunt to see the beauty and purpose in all living things.
— A girl who hates bugs learns to care for butterflies with her aunt in China, discovering that all life has meaning and purpose.
— When her best friend announces she's moving to Korea in two days, a girl's anger gives way to understanding that true friendship can survive any distance.