loss

Poetry·Aiwen L. Desai, age 12 — A wolf's howl, an elephant's wail, a polar bear's lament become nature's collective plea for humans to stop destroying and start creating a world where all creatures can thrive.

Story·Lauren Vanden Bosch, age 12 — A girl abandons her best friend when she moves away, then learns about friendship and priorities when she helps an injured competitor during a cross-country race.

Story·Chloe Montague, age 11 — A girl loses her cherished bracelet in the ocean and learns to value her cousin's happiness over material possessions when she imagines a fish wearing it.

Story·Isabella Reyes, age 13 — A six-year-old watches her parents' marriage dissolve on a summer day in Iowa and must choose which parent to leave with when her mother packs for Chicago.

Story·Jim Burch, age 12 — Eight years after their parents abandon them at an orphanage, Katherine must confront her lingering hope for their return with help from her wise younger sister Lily.

Story·Nadia Suben, age 10 — A grieving boy resists joining band after his jazz musician father's death, until a compassionate teacher helps him find healing through music.

Story·Samuel Campopiano, age 13 — A young pickpocket at the Eiffel Tower steals an old man's gold pocket watch, but returns it after hearing the man cry 'I lost my watch! I lost my father!'

Story·Ayla Schultz, age 11 — A girl whose family is fragmenting befriends her silent cousin by creating a mechanical dancing bird that mirrors the shorebirds they both love.

Story·Kika Kovaleski, age 10 — Eight-year-old Yuki experiences the upheaval of Japanese-American internment, losing herself in despair until a letter from her librarian and an unexpected kindness help her find hope again.

Story·Jenna Fields, age 13 — After her grandfather shares memories of her late grandmother during a rainstorm, a girl discovers the meaning of finding sunshine even on cloudy days when he passes away two days...