Some children have difficulty separating from a parent, so knowing they will be apart the whole day at school can cause them anxiety. The Kissing Hand is a sweet book that can help that first day feel less scary for younger students.
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Summary
Chester Raccoon does not want to go to school. His mother shares a family secret called the Kissing Hand. She tells Chester that any time he feels lonely or overwhelmed, he can place his palm with the kiss on his cheek and remember his mother loves him.
Read Aloud Questions
Before Reading
- What kind of animal is on the cover?
- What do you think the relationship between these two raccoons is?
- Looking at the cover, what time of day do you think it is? What makes you think so?
During Reading
- Why didn’t Chester want to go to school?
- What does “She spread his fingers into a fan” mean?
- What secret did Chester’s mom tell him?
After Reading
- Chester’s mom teased him in the story, was she being mean to him?
- How did the kissing hand help Chester?
- What did Chester do before he left for school?
Connecting Standards to The Kissing Hand
Compare and Contrast
From the words and illustrations, what things about Chester’s class and your class are the same and different? Consider when and where school takes place, who is in the class, the teacher, and what the students learn.
Digraphs
Chester begins with ch. Ch is a digraph. The c and the h come together to make one sound. The digraph ch can be found at the beginning of some words and the end of other words. Brainstorm other words with the ch digraph.
Adjectives
An adjective is a word that describes an animal, person, place, thing, or thought. It gives more detail to the reader and makes your writing more interesting. For example, Chester went to school in a big oak tree. The words big and oak give you more information about the tree. Look for other examples of adjectives in the story. Write some sentences about things in your school using adjectives.
More Fun Things to Do with Chester
Your class can listen to The Kissing Hand, read by Barbara Bain on Storyline Online. Storyline Online is a free literacy website where actors read popular picture books. Free teacher guides for the books are also available on the site.
If you’re looking for more activities for The Kissing Hand, check out the Learning Through Literature book companion at Resource Ranch.
Resource Ranch
Rhonda is the author of Resource Ranch. Most of her classroom experience has been in early elementary. She has also taught Title I Reading, ESL, and gifted students. She is certified as a Texas teacher in grades 1-8 and as a K-12 librarian.
