Bonnie slumped in the backseat of the car. Woody, peering through a small open space at the zipper of her backpack, looked up at her, concerned.

Soon they reached the school. Bonnie clung to her mom's hand as they walked up the steps, then went inside and down the hall to the kindergarten classroom. She glanced around at all the other kids in the class before burying her face in her mom's leg.

“Bonnie, honey, it'll be okay,” her mom said.

The teacher noticed Bonnie right away and knelt in front of her with a bright smile.

“Hi,” she said. “Are you Bonnie?”

Bonnie peeked out from behind her mom's leg but didn't say a word.

“My name is Miss Wendy,” the teacher continued. “I'm going to be your kindergarten teacher. We have a special place where you can put your backpack. You want to see?”

Bonnie followed Miss Wendy to a row of cubbies, observing the other kids as they walked across the classroom. It looked like many of the kids were already friends with each other.

“Here we are, Bonnie,” said Miss Wendy, motioning to the cubby that had Bonnie's name on it. “Just for you.” Bonnie put her backpack inside as the teacher told everyone to find a seat. “On the first day of school, you'll need a place to put your pencils. So today we're going to make pencil holders.”

Woody slid the zipper of Bonnie's backpack open a bit more and looked out. He kept an eye on her as Miss Wendy explained more about the art project. Bonnie sat at a table by herself and reached for some art supplies as a boy approached. She greeted him, but he ignored her. Woody gasped when he saw the boy grab the supplies from the table and leave.

The boy tossed an apple core into a nearby trash can and spilled some of the art supplies in along with it. Without realizing what had happened, the boy continued walking to another table, where he plopped down to sit.

It had only taken a few seconds to happen, but Bonnie was already holding back tears. Determined to help, Woody slipped out of the backpack and down from the cubby. Using a lunch box for cover, he made his way toward the trash can and climbed in. He found a discarded box of crayons and was about to toss it toward Bonnie when a few kids ran by. He froze until they passed, and then he flung the crayons in her direction. The crayons came out of the box and scattered all over the floor. Bonnie stood to pick them up.

Woody smiled and dug through the trash for more supplies—he found glue, wooden sticks, pencils, and a plastic spork. While the kids focused on their projects, he climbed out of the trash can. Without anyone noticing, Woody dropped the supplies onto Bonnie's table and hurried back to her cubby.

From the safety of Bonnie's backpack, he watched her finish collecting the dropped crayons and go back to her seat. She sifted through the supplies on her table. Her face lit up when she saw the spork. Woody watched with curiosity as Bonnie got to work.

Moments later, she held up the spork, admiring her creation. It now had feet, long pipe-cleaner arms, a mouth, and two googly eyes. Woody was a bit confused by the strange art project, but he was thrilled to see Bonnie finally looking happy.

Bonnie flipped the spork over and wrote her name on the stick feet, just like she did with all her toys. Woody watched with pride when Miss Wendy approached and said, “Oh, Bonnie. That is so clever.”

Bonnie held up what she'd made and spoke in her new friend's voice. “Hello,” she said. “I'm Forky. Nice to meet you.”

“Well, hello, Forky,” said Miss Wendy. “It's nice to meet you, too. I'm Miss Wendy.”

Later that day, when it was time to go home, Bonnie and the other kids burst out of the classroom, laughing and calling to their parents.

Bonnie showed Forky off to her mom and dad. “Look what I made! His name is Forky!”

“Oh, wow!” said Bonnie's dad. “Look at that!”

“That is so cool!” said her mom.

Bonnie's parents had a surprise because she had been so brave at orientation.

“Since school doesn't start for another week, we are going on a road trip!” her dad announced.

“Can I bring Forky?” asked Bonnie.

“Of course you can!” said her mom. Bonnie cheered. She unzipped her backpack and tucked Forky inside.

“And they said I shouldn't go to school with Bonnie,” Woody said to himself. He looked over at Forky. “We’ve got this kindergarten thing under control, eh?” He smirked. “I can't believe I'm talking to a spork.”

Suddenly, one of Forky's googly eyes moved. Woody froze and squinted at the spork, wondering if his own eyes were playing tricks on him. He moved in for a closer look and ... Forky's lips quivered. Then Forky sat up and gasped. dc3Eu6mtDVWumxOGSocw5B5QH+H4OUC3OPpm9JJpLNKfhm2SgMNEmRX1qjWFROXJ