A picture book collection of haiku poems celebrates the first day of school and all of its excitement, challenges, and anxieties, while multimedia paintings and collages by the Caldecott Honor-winning illustrator of The Noisy Paintbox depict diverse characters navigating relatable first day experiences.

When an imaginary creature appears under the porch, Fern looks in her book to determine its name, decides it's a purple snerd, and spends the day playing with it.

Recounts how the leopard got his claws and teeth and why he rules the forest with terror.