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Poetry·Laura Halliday, age 13 — 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.

Story·Sophia Gallegos, age 13 — 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.

Story·Tiffanie Goh, age 11 — 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.

Story·Evelyn Fitzpatrick, age 11 — 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.

Poetry·Christiana Joiner, age 11 — A girl flees anger and homework to climb her beloved tree, where rough bark and height transform fury into tears and finally clarity.

Poetry·Griffin Byrne, age 8 — A child addresses a chickadee through lyrical verse, tracing its movement from dawn song through sunset, celebrating the bird's freedom and its lingering presence in memory.

Poetry·Kate Choi, age 12 — A morning meditation in an oak tree by a brook, where the listener discovers that silence is filled with nature's whispered wisdom and calls to action.

Poetry·Deeba Kord, age 10 — A child runs barefoot along a muddy riverbank to a flower meadow, picks blooms, wades in the water, then wakes from what might be a dream.

Poetry·Katy Meta, age 13 — A young poet defends the beauty of a common weed against dismissive judgment, finding enchantment in its velveteen leaves and hidden indigo bud.

Poetry·Molly DellaValla, age 10 — A child observes a busy beach day filled with family chaos, snacks, sandcastles, and the ocean's constant presence, capturing summer's sensory overload.