A spellbinding author-illustrator debut about the anxiety and excitement of a new experience, represented by a frightening first day of school full of dragons that slowly transform into friends.

As a young girl cautiously approaches a castle full of soaring, roaring dragons, she worries about their wildness and their terribly sharp teeth. And indeed the dragons are hungry and noisy and seem to be hovering closer and closer--until the girl notices that some of them are wearing mismatched socks.

After several more curious encounters in which the girl spends time with each beast, she discovers there's much more to her supposed enemies than she realized. Because with every page turn, another dragon has meticulously transformed into a child working through his or her own overwhelming first day of school, just like the girl.

This remarkable debut by author-illustrator Jaime Zollars is inspired by her daughter and encourages young readers to see beyond their fears to the often surprising truths underneath...and to find their inner dragons.