Review of A Pocket Full of Kisses

A Pocket Full of Kisses is the sequel to the phenomenal hit The Kissing Hand. Chester Raccoon now has a baby brother named Ronny. While Ronny was kind of fun for a while, now he keeps getting into all of Chester's things. Chester wants to give him back, but Mommy wants to keep him. To make matters worse, Mom gives Ronny the Kissing Hand. Chester is convinced that his mom doesn't really love him anymore. She reassures him that each of them have their very own Kissing Hand and that she loves both of them the same. Chester fears that she will run out, now that they are doubled. She tells him that just as the sky will never run out of stars, she will never run out of Kissing Hands. For added measure, she gives him an extra one that he can put into his pocket.

Children can relate to this book, especially if they have younger siblings. Those babies sure are cute when they first arrive. But then they start taking attention away and later get into the older one's things. Older siblings start to feel like they are less loved because now they need to share Mom and Dad's affection and time. Parents need to reassure children that they are still loved, even if there are more children. In fact, there is even more love in the family now, because there are more people to share it.

Parents can read A Pocket Full of Kisses with their children and then follow up with discussion about how much they love all of their kids. They can even create or reinforce their own Kissing Hand routines.

Children love the Chester Raccoon character, and will also often go for this book at the library or in the classroom. As I was reviewing the galleys I received from the publisher via my association with NetGalley, even children ages 8 and 10 were excited to see their beloved Chester Raccoon. They had fond memories of reading him when they were younger and still enjoy him. The children ages 3-6 in my classroom chose this book from our school library to add to our classroom bookshelf. It is often being enjoyed by a young child sitting in a rocking chair. It is a great addition to anyone's library.