nature

Story·Bethany Walker, age 13 — Two cousins exploring a Florida ranch forest encounter wildlife and flee in panic from an alligator sunning on a canal bank, later laughing at their overreaction.

Poetry·Lauren MacGuidwin, age 12 — A night at a lake where moonlight transforms water into something magical, from skipping stones to being splashed with captured moonbeams.

Story·Shannon Keating, age 13 — A teenage girl and her toddler brother discover hundreds of stranded starfish on a beach, leading to reflections on life, death, and the power of small choices.

Story·Emma Agnew, age 13 — A girl escapes to a secret garden after fighting with her mother, where memories of visiting the same garden as a child help her find forgiveness.

Poetry·Wujun Ke, age 13 — Dawn light travels through trees as birds find their perches and begin singing, while the speaker breathes in the ancient scents of maple and oak.

Story·Sean Fay, age 11 — A boy goes skating alone on a winter lake, ventures too far out in worsening weather, falls through thin ice, and barely makes it home alive.

Story·Rachael Goddard Rebstein, age 12 — A boy navigates a sweltering forest, sensing danger and preparing to face a bear with his spear, until his mother's voice calling about homework breaks the spell.

Poetry·Olivia Mulley — Dawn light travels through trees to open eyes as birds find their perches and begin singing, while ancient scents drift through an open window.

Story·Brian Hoover, age 12 — A boy named Jake transforms into a werewolf under a blue moon in a clearing, surrounded by fleeing animals and supernatural lightning.

Story·Emina S. Sonnad, age 11 — A homesick Hawaiian girl meets an exuberant neighbor in an Oregon meadow who shows her a secret grove of cherry blossoms, where she glimpses their future friendship in a frozen...