''The Kissing Hand'' is an American children's

picture book A picture book combines visual and verbal narratives in a book format, most often aimed at young children. With the narrative told primarily through text, they are distinct from comics, which do so primarily through sequential images. The images ...

written by

Audrey Penn Audrey Penn is an American children's writer. She is best known for writing '' The Kissing Hand'', a picture book featuring anthropomorphic raccoons. Biography Audrey Penn grew up in Silver Spring, Maryland. Audrey Penn didn’t start off he ...

and illustrated by Ruth E. Harper and Nancy M. Leak. It features a mother

raccoon The raccoon ( or , ''Procyon lotor''), sometimes called the common raccoon to distinguish it from other species, is a mammal native to North America. It is the largest of the procyonid family, having a body length of , and a body weight of ...

comforting a child raccoon by kissing its paw. First published by the

Child Welfare League of America The Child Welfare League of America (CWLA) is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization that coordinates efforts for child welfare in the United States, and provides direct support to agencies that serve children and families. The organization's visio ...

in 1993, it has been used "to reassure children upset by separation anxiety." Based on a 2007 online poll, the

National Education Association The National Education Association (NEA) is the largest labor union in the United States. It represents public school teachers and other support personnel, faculty and staffers at colleges and universities, retired educators, and college stude ...

listed the book as one of its "Teachers' Top 100 Books for Children." It was one of the "Top 100 Picture Books" of all time in a 2012 poll by ''

School Library Journal ''School Library Journal'' (''SLJ'') is an American monthly magazine containing reviews and other articles for school librarians, media specialists, and public librarians who work with young people. Articles cover a wide variety of topics, with ...

''. It has been translated into at least five languages and has been followed by five sequels.

Background

On a train ride in

Wheaton, Maryland Wheaton is a census-designated place in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States, situated north of Washington, D.C. and northwest of downtown Silver Spring. Wheaton takes its name from Frank Wheaton (1833–1903), a career officer in the Unit ...

, Penn witnessed a ritual in which a mother raccoon placed its nose on a baby raccoon's paw, and then the baby raccoon placed its paw on its own face. The park ranger said that the purpose of the ritual was to transfer scent from the mother to the baby so that the baby could recall the mother's scent by bringing its paw to its face. Penn "started a similar ritual with her daughter — kissing her hand and telling her that whenever she was homesick, she could put her hand to her face." Penn wrote ''The Kissing Hand'' based on the raccoons' ritual. Penn read the book at VSA arts, and

Jean Kennedy Smith Jean Ann Kennedy Smith (February 20, 1928June 17, 2020) was an American diplomat, activist, humanitarian, and author who served as United States Ambassador to Ireland from 1993 to 1998. She was a member of the Kennedy family, the eighth of nine c ...

wrote the book's foreword.

Summary

Chester is a young raccoon who is nervous about going to school. His mother kisses his center palm and tells him that "whenever you feel lonely and need a little loving from home, just press your hand to your cheek and think, 'Mommy loves you. Mommy loves you.'" Chester is comforted and goes to school.

Reception

In 1994 the book received a negative review in the ''

'', which considered it "marketing" for the Child Welfare League of America, with a "didactic story" and low-quality illustrations. Nevertheless, in 1998

Scholastic Corporation Scholastic Corporation () is an American multinational publishing, education, and media company that publishes and distributes books, comics, and educational materials for schools, parents, and children. Products are distributed via retail and on ...

published a paperback version which became one of its "biggest, most popular best sellers." The

American Library Association The American Library Association (ALA) is a nonprofit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with 49,727 members a ...

recommended the book after the

September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercia ...

of 2001. In 2004, the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

purchased 14,000 copies of the book for soldiers stationed abroad to read on video and transmit the video to their families at home. It was ranked #49 in a 2007 online poll by the

of "Teachers' Top 100 Books for Children." It was ranked #95 in a list of "Top 100 Picture Books" of all time in a 2012 poll by ''

''.

Editions and translations

* (hardcover) * (paperback) * (cassette tape and paperback) * * (Braille) * (CD and paperback) * * * * *

Sequels

* * * * * *

References

External links

"The Kissing Hand books: a series on life issues for children"
(author's site) {{DEFAULTSORT:Kissing Hand, The 1994 children's books American picture books Fictional raccoons Animal tales Wheaton, Maryland