First Day of School — A Children’s Picture Book
A gentle back-to-school story about making new friends
(Ages 4–8)
(Ages 4–8)
Overview
First Day of School began as a heartfelt story written and illustrated by my 6-year-old son, Neel, during his first week of first grade. His simple words and drawings captured the pure emotions of missing his best friend from kindergarten — and the courage it takes to start fresh. As a mother and a designer, I knew this story deserved to live beyond his notebook — as a picture book that could resonate with other children experiencing the same feelings.
The Creative Process
With over 15 years of design experience, I decided to take on this project as a personal creative experiment — blending my design expertise with the possibilities of AI. I used Adobe Firefly to create illustrations that stayed true to Neel’s hand-drawn style, using his original sketches as visual inspiration.
To maintain consistency across scenes, I developed a detailed AI prompt and applied it throughout the book, refining each illustration manually in Photoshop to ensure that the main character, JJ, looked and felt the same in every scene. Each element — from the warm fall palette on the first day to the bright summer tones on the last — was art directed to mirror the rhythm of a school year.
The book layout was designed in an 8”x8” square format, perfect for small hands, with MVB Grenadine as the primary typeface. Its playful, mid-century charm and clear legibility made it ideal for early readers.
A detailed creative process is described in the blog article: From Neel’s Notebook to Amazon Shelves
Bringing It to Life
The book was self-published through Amazon KDP, a platform that makes publishing accessible to anyone. When the first printed copy arrived, I handed it to Neel. His eyes widened, his smile stretched ear to ear — it was his story, transformed into something real he could hold, flip through, and share.
Reflection
Looking back, this project became so much more than creating a book. It was about honoring a child’s imagination, exploring the possibilities of AI as a creative tool, and reminding myself that storytelling is at the heart of everything I do. We live in a time where the gap between idea and creation has never been smaller. With a little heart, persistence, and yes, a touch of AI magic — a six-year-old’s story can grow into a published book. And perhaps that’s the real takeaway: stories matter — no matter how small they begin.
📖 If you’d like to hold this story in your hands, First Day of School is now available on Amazon.
📩 Feel free to share your thoughts: sonal@kalakatta.studio
