belonging

Story·Lebo Molefe, age 13 — A rainbow-colored parrot is captured from the rainforest and transported through illegal wildlife trade, eventually finding a home with a lonely girl named Anne.

Story·Joyce Chen, age 13 — A fourth-grader dreads wearing her new glasses to school but discovers both clear vision and unexpected acceptance from classmates when forced to put them on.

Story·Liana K. Gonsalves, age 13 — A girl invites her pen pal Isabella to her family's beach cottage for a weekend, but tension arises when her best friend calls, leading to a dangerous midnight rescue during...

Poetry·Ella Csuros, age 8 — A bilingual poem where water becomes the island where grandmother lives, with bears, ocean lullabies, and uncle's fishing boat.

Story·Megan Petty, age 11 — A dog befriends a pregnant wolf cast out from her pack, ultimately choosing to protect her from a hunter and join the wild to prove dogs and wolves can live...

Poetry·Jason Fong, age 11 — A young poet confronts racist taunts of 'Go back to Asia' by questioning where anyone truly belongs, reminding us that only Native Americans aren't immigrants to this land.

Story·Maia Donahue, age 12 — A lonely fifth-grader who feels invisible meets Lizzy, a quirky new student with electric blue eyes who notices her red Converse and offers genuine friendship.

Story·Shannon Jin, age 12 — A Chinese-American teenager struggles with her immigrant family's stories of hardship until visiting her father's childhood home in rural China transforms her understanding.

Story·Anonymous, Illustrated by Madeleine Gates — A seven-year-old moves from California to Chicago, struggles with homesickness and lost friendships, then finds connection through soccer and a new friend named Jonathan.

Story·Charlotte Merrick, age 12 — A lonely commuter observes fleeting human connections on the M31 bus, finding meaning in strangers' brief interactions while questioning their own isolation.