parents

Poetry·Iris Chalfen — A child flees to a secret hiding place after her father rejects her attempt at comfort, wrestling with guilt and confusion about his sadness.

Personal Narrative·Aisana Zhumabayeva — After their father fails to pick them up from school, two siblings wait in an empty cafeteria until an ambulance arrives to take them to the hospital where they learn...

Story·Haeun Kim — Through the Korean board game alkkagi, three generations pass down wisdom about patience, timing, and seizing opportunities in both games and life.

Personal Narrative·Avaline Mikhasiuta — A five-year-old Russian speaker faces her first day of kindergarten without knowing English, finds connection through a Japanese classmate who shares her language barrier.

Poetry·Mia Xu, age 11 — A child observes her father's emotional state mirroring stock market fluctuations during COVID-19, realizing she cares about stocks because they affect him.

Personal Narrative·Misha Joksic — A boy experiences sudden, severe stomach pain that turns out to be appendicitis, leading to an experimental treatment at NYU Langone Hospital instead of surgery.

Personal Narrative·Louise Johnson — A six-year-old steals money from her mother to buy a coveted tea set, then confesses through tears, learning about unconditional love.

Poetry·Zaid Nazif — A child catalogs each family member's hair color through vivid comparisons, lingering longest on their mother's dreamlike blonde strands.

Poetry·Mia Ella Antonio — At dawn, a girl waits at the village edge for her father's return, watching fog roll over the hills until she finally spots him arriving with his donkey.

Personal Narrative·Carolina Ulloa-Compton — A four-year-old puts a bean in her ear during preschool nap time, keeps it secret for days, and finally gets it removed at a foreign object removal clinic.