The Kiss that Missed by David Melling (Barron’s, 2001) is a clever story about a busy father (a king) that didn’t take the time to slow down: and the bedtime kiss he blew to his young son missed, going out into the wild wood where it met with amusing results for the knight he went after it to bring it back home.
The Kiss that Missed is partly a fairy tale, but it’s also a practical reminder that settling down and reading a story is an important part of a child’s life. Melling’s comic illustrations and the shimmery “kiss” to find on each page make this book a hit for my young son (age 4).
