Is your child or grandchild going to school for the first time?

Going to kindergarten can be traumatic – even for the child. This book has helped hundreds of thousands of kids go to school for the first time without tears. I can’t guarantee that it works for moms.

The Kissing Hand

Written in 1993, this book is a classic, but maybe it’s new to you.

Chester Raccoon does not want to go to kindergarten.  His wise mother tells him that we all have to do things we don’t want to do, but has a secret to share with him.

Chester stops crying long enough to check out the secret.  Mom kisses his palm and tells him that he can touch his face with his hand and feel mommy’s kiss any time he feels lonely or afraid.

Chester loves his hand.   In the end, Chester takes his mother’s hand and leaves her with a kissing hand to treasure in his absence.  Mom loves and needs his gift, too.

Penn packed tremendous love and comfort into merely 488 words.  However, at the end is a letter from the author, a must-read for adults.  This story stemmed from a time the author observed a wild mother raccoon touch her baby with her hands and imprint her scent. Momma raccoon’s action moved and stayed with Penn until she finally published the book about the event twenty years later.

So… give THIS book to someone you love and need to leave, no matter what their age.

Do you have a favorite children’s book for children going to school for the first time?

School begins soon! Don’t delay.

Please share this post with someone you love who has a kindergartener or needs to leave their child, no matter what their age.

The Kissing Hand – remember it!