The Kissing Hand

School is just around the corner and children will be thinking about wrapping up their summers and starting school. Some children may be beginning school for the first. The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn is a great way to broach the subject of separation anxiety with children. The Kissing Hand tells the story of a little racoon who is worried about leaving his mother on the first day of school. His mother sympathizes with him and shares a strategy to help him to feel comfortable with leaving home for school. The Kissing Hand uses warm and delightful watercolor illustrations to support the telling of a story of love, patience, and empathy. The Kissing Hand has the ability to help children feel calm and comforted while reading it, and then continue to feel that way after the reading has finished. The Kissing Hand is perfect for children three years old and up, and is especially good for those rising Kindergartner’s who will be starting school. The story is simple and straightforward, and children will be able to recall the lesson in the story easily.

The Kissing Hand is a fantastic tool to start discussions with children about the difficult topics of emotions and especially fear. After reading the Kissing Hand families and teachers will have a concrete foundation to gently build open and help children successfully talk about difficult feelings as well as overcome obstacles associated with those feelings. The Kissing Hand will become a family or classroom favorite that will be asked to be read again and again.