Danielle Rolley's Favorite Children's book

One of my favorite children's books of all time is "The Kissing Hand" by Audrey Penn. This book is about a little raccoon named Chester who is scared and sad to go to school. His mom Mrs. Raccoon takes his hand and kisses it, she then tells him that no matter how many times he washes his hand the kiss will always be there. This comforts Chester and and makes him feel better. He then becomes excited for school and not scared anymore. Then as he goes to leave for school he kisses his moms hand and tells her that no matter how many times she washes her hands it will always be there.

I like this book so much because I think it is heartwarming, well written, and it has great illustrations. I used to get homesick every year when school would start and my mom would always find a way to make me feel better so I can relate to this book. I also liked this book because not alot of children's books have raccoons as the characters and I think raccoons are cute, especially in this book.

I would incorporate "The Kissing Hand" into my first grade classroom by reading it on the first day of school. I would use this book as an ice breaker as well as a way to comfort those students that are nervous, sad, or scared about starting their first day of school. This book could also be used on Mother's Day to show the relationship between a child and their mother and how mothers are always there for their children and should be appreciated.