childhood
— A boy named Gabriel dreams of his Arizona childhood, navigates Pennsylvania middle school, then learns his family must move to Florida.
— A child celebrates physical connection with the earth through barefoot play, describing the planet as a mother whose sandy skin invites daily touch and joy.
— Two six-year-old best friends spend a perfect day together at a street fair, unaware that boxes in one girl's apartment signal an impending move to California.
— In 1953, an eight-year-old Black girl secretly befriends a white girl through a hole in the fence dividing their neighborhoods, until Brown v. Board changes everything.
— A boy's stream of anxious questions about loneliness, belonging, and fear spirals into a plea for connection and normalcy.
— A young writer explains how the tooth fairy works, from the fairy's tiny wings to the exchange of clean teeth for money under pillows.
— 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.
— A child recalls digging in sand and being lifted by their father over crashing waves, finding belonging in that moment of safety and joy.
— A dog named Hua Hua remembers playing in the park with Sarah before her illness, now keeping watch as she lies in bed, no longer able to go outside.
— A child kneels by the Mississippi River, praying and remembering walks with her mother, feeling freedom in the water's flow and memories on its surface.