compassion
— Natural elements—waterfall, brambles, ocean, rose—hide their true natures behind false facades until one rose's kindness earns it the gift of beauty.
— Scientists are using gene-editing to modify pig organs for human transplants, removing problematic sugars and viruses that cause rejection.
— A grandson builds a chair beside an avocado tree he planted, hoping to help his grandmother with memory loss remember their shared moments by the shore.
— A girl who visits graves meets the ghost of Ada Lee Clemmons, an eleven-year-old who died in 1907, and realizes she's been keeping the forgotten child company.
— Seventh graders torment a new student who attends class via video call, only to discover she has a disability when she finally arrives in person.
— After her parakeet dies, a girl receives a stone from a quiet classmate, then passes it to a grieving neighbor, discovering how small acts of kindness ripple outward.
— A girl befriends a blind harmonica player outside a store, giving him her candy money daily until one day he vanishes, leaving her changed.
— 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.
— A girl who hates bugs learns to care for butterflies with her aunt in China, discovering that all life has meaning and purpose.
— A young poet defends the beauty of a common weed against dismissive judgment, finding enchantment in its velveteen leaves and hidden indigo bud.