The Kissing Hand is an American children's picture book written by Audrey Penn and illustrated by Ruth E. Harper and Nancy M. Leak.

First published by the Child Welfare League of America in 1993, it has been used "to reassure children upset by separation anxiety.

In 1994 the book received a negative review in the School Library Journal, which considered it "marketing" for the Child Welfare League of America, with a "didactic story" and low-quality illustrations.

[1] It was ranked #49 in a 2007 online poll by the National Education Association of "Teachers' Top 100 Books for Children.

"[2] It was ranked #95 in a list of "Top 100 Picture Books" of all time in a 2012 poll by School Library Journal.