connection to nature
— A girl searches desperately for her beloved lesson horse Judah after he's retired without warning, finally finding him at a distant stable.
— A boy contrasts the metaphorical fog of human deceit with the real fog of his countryside home, finding paradise in nature's simple peace.
— A child sends love through night sounds and constellations to someone far away, finding connection in shared memories of crickets and stars.
— Two cousins at a beach house share the same drowning nightmare, then follow a mysterious voice to rescue a seal trapped in a fishing net.
— A canoe journey down a river becomes a catalog of sensory impressions — from burbling water to wild mint to watchful eagles — preserved as memory.
— After her mother's death, a girl moves to a farm with her father and encounters an old woman who tends a single bean plant, her only inheritance from her late...
— A girl chases chickens away from an outdoor dinner, then later visits them in their coop, stroking them as they settle for sleep.
— A boy jealous of his cousin's building projects with their grandfather finally gets his chance when they build a chicken coop together during a summer visit.
— A girl remembers Chuck, her beloved ice cream man who was fired for driving her home after she fell, and discovers he's now her mailman.