The focus of this reading is to read the story and talk about new vocabulary. There will be opportunities in this reading to connect the information in the illustrations to the information in the text.
Most of the vocabulary in The Kissing Hand will be familiar to your listener and you. The author’s writing style is straightforward with little use of figurative language. Therefore, we’ll be spending most of our discussion time on the Reading Comprehension Best Practice of Activating Prior Knowledge/Making Connections.
*Read the pages before you ask the questions.
Pages 1 – 6:
~On page 1, edge: a border, where the forest begins. Where is Chester standing if he is standing at the edge of the forest?
~Have your reader or you wanted to stay home instead of going somewhere new? Discuss.
~On page 3, nuzzled: to rub with the nose, to cuddle. What might humans do that is similar to nuzzling? What clues in the text infer that Chester has not gone to school before?
~Is the story real or make-believe? Discuss.
Pages 7 – 12:
Read these pages and then discuss the following:
~Discuss how The Kissing Hand works.
~Chester’s mother’s kiss has great power, rushing to his heart and filling it with warmth. Discuss any times that you have felt that power of a kiss or a hug.
~Ms. Penn conceived the idea for The Kissing Hand from witnessing some interaction between a mother raccoon and her child. The incident is explained in About This Book. Share this with your listener.
Pages 14 – 16:
~Why can’t Mrs. Raccoon’s kiss be washed away?
Pages 17 – End:
~On page 21, how do you think Chester is feeling as he dances away to school? (happy)
~On page 23, what word means the same as dances away? (scampers)