Empathy

To be empathetic is to understand the feelings of others. Through the character of Winter, the author explores how empathy occurs naturally in some individuals and how it can be developed by observing and experiencing situations. Winter Turning is set in Pyrrhia, an imaginary land inhabited by seven distinct dragon tribes. An IceWing dragonet named Winter is facing a series of new situations that prompt him to learn about empathy, though he demonstrates that he had a natural tendency toward empathy despite his cultural upbringing. Winter learns about empathy through examples from new friendships and from an experience with a magic object.

When Winter was very young, he was on a hunting trip and did not kill a mother polar bear because she had cubs. His family berated him for his inaction and Winter became determined not to hesitate if that situation arose again. By the...