summer

Story·Amy Zhou, age 11 — During a summer visit to China, a girl who hates bugs learns from her butterfly-loving aunt to see the beauty and purpose in all living things.

Story·Amy Zhou, age 11 — A girl who hates bugs learns to care for butterflies with her aunt in China, discovering that all life has meaning and purpose.

Poetry·Deeba Kord, age 10 — A child runs barefoot along a muddy riverbank to a flower meadow, picks blooms, wades in the water, then wakes from what might be a dream.

Poetry·Molly DellaValla, age 10 — A child observes a busy beach day filled with family chaos, snacks, sandcastles, and the ocean's constant presence, capturing summer's sensory overload.

Poetry·McKenzie Steury, age 11 — A girl walking on the beach discovers a baby turtle emerging from the sand and protects it from predators until it reaches the sea.

Poetry·Jinny Min, age 11 — A summer beach day builds from hot sand and waves to the moment of witnessing a spectacular sunset that leaves the observer speechless.

Story·Sonja Skye Wooley, age 12 — A nervous softball player battles anxiety at bat, gets walked, then hits the pitching machine and slides safely into second base.

Story·Hannah Ferreira, age 11 — A girl escapes her stifling bedroom on a summer night to lie in the grass under moonlight, until her mother gently brings her back inside.

Story·Ruby DeFrank, age 10 — A young pitcher struggles through a tough inning, then later coaches his younger brother through batting practice, passing on his coach's wisdom about perseverance.

Story·Rosalie Schulick, age 13 — A six-year-old girl hatches a duckling from an abandoned egg, raises it as her best friend, then learns to let it return to its wild family at the pond.