To: Stefanie Rebecca Koren and childreneverywhere who love to be loved.
Chester Raccoon stood at the edge of theforest and cried.
\\\" I don\\\'t want to go to school,\\\"he told his mother. \\\" I want to stay home with you. I want to play with myfriends. And play with my toys. And read my books. And swing on my swing.Please may I stay home with you?\\\"
Mrs. Raccoon took Chester by the hand and nuzzled him on theear.
\\\" Sometimes we all have to do thingswe don\\\'t want to do.\\\" She told him gently. \\\"Even if they seem strangeand scary at first. But you will love school once you start.\\\"
\\\"You\\\'ll make new friends. And playwith new toys.\\\"
\\\"Read new books. And swing on newswings. Besides,\\\" she added. \\\"I know a wonderful secret that willmake your nights at school seem as warm and cozy as your days at home.\\\"
Chester wiped away his tears and looked interested. \\\"A secret? Whatkind of secret?\\\"
\\\"A very old secret,\\\" said Mrs.Raccoon. \\\"I learned it from my mother, and she learned it from hers. It iscalled the Kissing Hand.\\\"
\\\"I\\\'ll show you.\\\" Mrs. Raccoontook Chester\\\'sleft hand and spread open his tiny fingers into a fan. Leaning forward, shekissed Chesterright in the middle of his palm.
Chester felt his mother\\\'s kiss rush from his hand, up his arm, and into hisheart. Even his silky, black mask tingled with a special warmth.
Mrs. Raccoon smiled. \\\"Now,\\\" shetold Chester,\\\"whenever you feel lonely and need a little loving from home, just pressyour hand to your cheek and think, \\\'Mommy loves you. Mommy loves you.\\\' And thatvery kiss will jump to your face and fill you with toasty warm thoughts.\\\"
She took Chester\\\'s hand and carefully wrapped hisfingers around the kiss. \\\"Now, do be careful not to lose it,\\\" sheteased him. \\\"But, don\\\'t worry. When you open your hand and wash your food,I promise the kiss will stick.\\\"
Chester loved his Kissing Hand. Now he knew his mother\\\'s love would go withhim wherever he went. Even to school.
That night, Chester stood in front of his school andlooked thoughtful. Suddenly, he turned to his mother and grinned.
\\\"Give me your hand,\\\" he told her.
Chester took his mother\\\'s hand in his own and unfolded her large, familiarfingers into a fan. Next, he leaned forward and kissed the center of her hand.
\\\"Now you have a Kissing Hand,too,\\\" he told her. And with a gentle \\\"Good-bye\\\" and \\\"I loveyou\\\", Chesterturned and danced away.
Mrs. Raccoon watched Chester scamper across a tree limb and enterschool. And as the hoot owl rang in the new school year, she pressed her lefthand to her cheek and smiled.
The warmth of Chester\\\'s kiss filled her heart with specialwords.
\\\"Chesterloves you,\\\" it sang. \\\"Chesterloves you.\\\"