animals

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·Amy Zhou, age 11 — 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.

Story·Amy Zhou, age 11 — A girl who hates bugs learns to care for butterflies with her aunt in China, discovering that all life has meaning and purpose.

Poetry·Sabrina Guo, age 11 — A money tree in the living room becomes a meditation on luck, family traditions, and whether fortune is given or made.

Story·Kate Bailey, age 11 — A girl adopts a mysterious horse from a shadowy seller at a carnival, only to discover he's a stolen Chincoteague pony who must be returned to his island home.

Poetry·McKenzie Steury, age 11 — A girl walking on the beach discovers a baby turtle emerging from the sand and protects it from predators until it reaches the sea.

Story·Mackenzie Crum, age 10 — A girl daydreams about owning a pony she can't afford until her struggling parents surprise her with the horse, strengthening their family bond across generations.

Story·Noelia M. Colón, age 13 — A girl inherits a magic fiddle from a mysterious man in the woods, and when she plays it by candlelight, shadows come alive and dance on moonbeams.

Poetry·Abigail Rose Cargo, age 13 — A boat being pulled from water becomes a meditation on the narrow margins between opposing forces—connection and separation, life and death.

Story·Jane Westrick, age 12 — A young climber encounters a cougar on a mountain ledge and saves herself by singing the same lullaby she once used to tame her childhood cat.