kindness

Story·Cadence Bertsch — A dragon with weak fire nearly freezes to death in a snowstorm until humans in a cave share their food and warmth, changing the dragon's view of humanity.

Poetry·Ivy Cordle, age 9 — A child discovers that the scary monster outside their door is actually lonely and scared, shrinking smaller with each act of kindness until it disappears.

Story·Mira Johnson, age 8 — A sycamore tree named Triffle shelters a wounded bunny from a hunting dog, using her special soap to heal the bunny's injury.

Poetry·Maya Wolfford, age 13 — Natural elements—waterfall, brambles, ocean, rose—hide their true natures behind false facades until one rose's kindness earns it the gift of beauty.

Poetry·Rickza Kerr, age 11 — A Haitian-American adoptee imagines helping the world through kindness, reuniting families, and bridging the gap between her birth country and adoptive home.

Story·Erin Cadora, age 10 — A stray cat with a bell that prevents her from hunting gradually learns to trust a grieving woman who feeds her, eventually becoming a beloved family pet.