freedom

Story·Nicky Cannon, age 12 — A boy races from car to ocean, feeling invincible in the Atlantic waves until his mother calls him back to ordinary life at nightfall.

Story·Nicky Cannon, age 12 — A boy races from car to ocean, feeling invincible in the waves until his mother calls him back to ordinary life at nightfall.

Story·Julia Gaitley, age 12 — A girl at an aquarium loses her older brother while daydreaming about seals' freedom, then finds comfort in a wandering turtle while waiting to be found.

Poetry·Bailey Victoria Nold, age 10 — A young poet urges readers to step outside and notice their freedom, safety, and luck through simple observations of birds, melting snow, and neighborhood play.

Story·Olivia Smit, age 12 — A captive cheetah dreams of freedom while watching his brothers die from starvation, until a woman rescues him and returns him to the African savannah.

Story·Emily Grant, age 11 — A girl discovers a magical black horse that transforms into a ghost, learning his true name is Leeto before he gallops away to freedom.

Story·Madeleine S. Gregory, age 12 — A girl follows a fox through a magical spring into another world, where she's tricked into slavery before the fox helps her escape.

Poetry·Nicky Cannon, age 12 — A poem cataloging moments of joy and freedom — from fireside reading to summer swimming — before an alarm clock shatters the dream.

Story·Mary Woods, age 12 — A scrappy urban fox survives by scavenging until a train accident lands him in an animal shelter, where he's healed and released into a forest home.

Story·Lebo Molefe, age 13 — A rainbow-colored parrot is captured from the rainforest and transported through illegal wildlife trade, eventually finding a home with a lonely girl named Anne.