water

Story·Jenna Lasby, age 13 — A girl with a walking stick from an old injury rescues her brother from the same river where she was hurt, finding courage through a butterfly's example.

Poetry·Ella Rogers, age 10 — A salmon's perspective during its final leap upstream, narrowly escaping a grizzly bear's jaws before reaching calmer waters.

Story·Brooke Antoine, age 13 — A girl sneaks out at night to the boardwalk, discovers a manatee tangled in a net, rescues it with her parents' help, and later travels to Florida to release it.

Story·Jamie Geng, age 11 — A family hikes through scorching heat to a waterfall, where the narrator climbs rocks and discovers a breathtaking view of the shimmering river below.

Poetry·Jeremy Trujillo, age 12 — Two dogs race across a beach where sunset transforms lake and sand into fiery red, ending with them asleep in the blood-colored landscape.

Story·Risa Askerooth, age 12 — A grueling hike through Hawaiian wilderness nearly ends in defeat before revealing hidden pools, where exhaustion transforms into pure joy.

Story·Billy Liptrot, age 13 — A boy finds solace at a secluded spot by a reservoir, where memories of catching frogs with his brother merge with present sensory details of water, weather, and wildlife.

Story·Natalie Bettendorf, age 13 — A family's annual August trip to Mission Beach in San Diego brings together two close families for a day of racing to the ocean, splashing, and summer traditions.

Story·Alexandra Langley, age 12 — A grieving boy finds his dead mother's spirit in a swan at the pond she loved, after dreams tell him to 'listen to it.'

Story·Ben Hayes, age 13 — A young angler describes the meditative ritual of dusk fishing on a quiet lake, from paddling out to the explosive moment of catching a keeper.