animals

Story·Jerry Xia — A boy confronts his fear of spiders during a nighttime trip to the garage refrigerator, learning to see them as fellow creatures just trying to survive.

Poetry·Atlas William Iacobucci, age 9 — A surreal dream sequence where thunder and chaos transform New York City, ending with whale-like creatures becoming morning doves in the restored calm.

Poetry·Tristan Hui, age 11 — A child's memory of digging in sand and being lifted by their father above ocean waves captures a moment of perfect safety and belonging.

Story·Una Dorr, age 11 — A boy terrified of heights must overcome his fear when his cat gets trapped on a crumbling 20th-floor balcony that locks behind him.

Story·Sage Young, age 12 — A house cat gets locked outside during a snowstorm, survives a night in an alley and a raccoon encounter, then finds her way home to her worried human.

Story·Sabrina Guo, age 11 — A girl reflects on eating chicken in China and at home, connecting the meals to her birth year of the rooster and what traditions mean across cultures.

Story·Jem Burch, age 13 — A reluctant teenager dragged to a Ghanaian village for Christmas discovers friendship and joy through a local tradition of chasing chickens.

Story·Olivia Stoltzfus — 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...

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.