compassion

Story·Peter O'Shea, age 12 — A boy who hates animals after being bitten volunteers at a shelter and discovers the same German shepherd who bit him seven years ago, leading to forgiveness and adoption.

Story·Grace Manning, age 12 — During a sailing race with a $100 prize, a boy gives up certain victory to help his friend win the money for his dying father's medical care.

Story·Isabel Folger, age 10 — A girl afraid of dogs since childhood overcomes her fear to rescue a stray on Christmas Eve, convincing her family to adopt him as their annual charity project.

Story·Lily Strauss, age 10 — A Montana girl raises money to visit her beloved horse Missoula, who has been sent to Missouri to work as a therapy horse for children with disabilities.

Poetry·Abby Shaffer, age 12 — A quiet moment between a girl and her aging, sick dog captures the tenderness of caring for a beloved pet nearing the end.

Story·Kerri Prinos, age 13 — A girl on a manatee tour in Crystal River struggles with the ethics of wildlife tourism, choosing not to alert her group when she encounters a manatee alone.

Story·Isabel Folger, age 12 — A girl shovels snow to earn money for Christmas presents, then must choose between a bracelet she wants and a gift for her sister.

Story·Eoin O'Mara, age 11 — A boy secretly befriends a field mouse his family considers a pest, then faces a moral crisis when his grandmother orders him to shoot it with his bow and arrow.

Poetry·Aiwen L. Desai, age 12 — A wolf's howl, an elephant's wail, a polar bear's lament become nature's collective plea for humans to stop destroying and start creating a world where all creatures can thrive.

Story·Mathilde Fox-Smith, age 10 — A girl discovers her mother's missing camellias are being taken by a Mexican neighbor who weaves flower crowns, leading to friendship and tragedy when the neighbor's sister drowns.