I'm not a huge fan of the Kissing Hand books.

Note: I received a stapled galley of this book from the publisher at ALA Midwinter 2017. ( )

Great book to read with kidz! The story shows acceptance of others, including acceptance of self when little racoon wants to go home early from the fun. The illustrations by Barbara Leonard Gibson are more than fantastic and are just too much fun! Get one for home, gifting, and for local local library!
I requested and received a free temporary ebook from Tanglewood Publishing via NetGalley. Thank you! ( )

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thoughts and opinions are my own.

I adore The Kissing Hand and love reading it to my children! I believe it expresses a mother's love in a beautiful way, and my son kept wanting to try it for himself! (For those of you unfamiliar with the story, the mother raccoon kisses her son's hand so he always has her love with him. If he feels sad, he just has to press that hand to his cheek to be reminded of his mother.)

Chester Raccoon and the Almost Perfect Sleepover was another wonderful story that we've already read more than once. Instead of starting school like in the previous book, he's going on his very first sleepover (which is during the day, because raccoons). We get to see him playing games with his friends and being excited about the idea of staying somewhere else.

However, once it's time to sleep, Chester finds himself missing his mother and even his sibling. It's a story that shows children it's okay to have new experiences, but it's also normal to want what is familiar. He isn't picked on for his decision, but welcomed home with loving, open arms. I highly recommend any of Audrey Penn's books for children.

Originally posted at Do You Dog-ear? on May 5, 2018.
https://www.doyoudog-ear.com/2018/05/mini-reviews-4-house-for-everyone.html ( )

This is a new addition to the Kissing Hand series. When Chester Raccoon is invited to an "overday" (spending the day at his friend's home) at his friend Pepper Opossum's tree, he will be away from mother raccoon for the full day. She kisses his hand and closes it on her kiss as he is leaving. Chester joins all his friends for a day full of fun games and activities. When they all get tired, they go to Pepper's tree and curl up in her hollow. All his friends fall asleep except for Chester. He remembers his mother's Kissing Hand, but he still feels homesick and a tear escapes from his eye. When Pepper's mom notices how sad he is, she enlists the help of Mrs. Rabbit to take Chester home. Once home and in his mother's arms, he has not problem falling asleep across the hollow from his brother. Chester learns that it okay to be nervous when you experience new things and not to be afraid to ask for help. This is a great book to read to young children who might be nervous or scared about a new activity or to be leaving mom whether to go to a friend or relative's house or even to school. The illustrations are adorable and the animals are so cute. I especially liked Sassafrass the skunk who kept "stinky puffing" when she was nervous, tired or giggling. This is also a good book about teaching tolerance for friends and those who might be different. A great book for families of young children as well as for kindergarten and early primary classrooms. The publisher generously provided me with a copy of this book via Netgalley. ( )