perseverance
— A lost red balloon travels the world searching for the child who let go, eventually finding freedom in Antarctica among millions of other balloons.
— A seventh-grader who loves baking in a family that doesn't understand him proves his worth by making extraordinary brownies that win them over.
— A basketball player reflects on how the game remains constant from third grade through high school, despite physical changes and growing skill.
— A nervous softball player battles anxiety at bat, gets walked, then hits the pitching machine and slides safely into second base.
— A young pitcher struggles through a tough inning, then later coaches his younger brother through batting practice, passing on his coach's wisdom about perseverance.
— A Mexican-American girl's nursing school dreams seem crushed by poverty until her cantankerous neighbor unexpectedly offers to pay her college tuition.
— A young artist who draws the sunrise every morning struggles with her mother's acting ambitions for her, then finds hope after losing an art contest when her grandmother offers to...
— A nervous girl drives to her school play audition, battles stage fright, performs her monologue, and finds relief in having tried her best.
— A twelve-year-old enslaved girl learns to read in secret, escapes to Massachusetts via the Underground Railroad, and becomes a teacher, reuniting with her childhood friend years later.
— A seven-year-old girl reluctantly tries water-skiing again on the Mississippi River and finally succeeds, discovering the joy she'd been missing.