The Kissing Hand (1993)

Chester the raccoon is nervous about going to school, so his mother kisses the center of his palm and gives him a way to carry her love with him. The idea moves straight into real life: a kiss on the palm at the school door becomes a private, wordless goodbye that a child can hold on to for the rest of the day. First published in 1993, it speaks to missing a parent rather than to what happens inside a classroom, so it pairs well with one of the books here that shows the school day itself.