Themes

• Moving
• Friendship
• Making Changes

Response Suggestions

• After reading the book discuss how the story relates to the experience of the readers/listeners.
  
  
• Most children have had to move at one time or another in their lives or have had a new child move into their school or neighborhood. Discuss how the adjustment was made to the new school and neighborhood. Make a collaborative list of actions one might take to welcome a new child to the neighborhood and make a second list of actions one might take to welcome a new child to school and classroom.
  
  
• Ask each child to draw a picture of him or herself doing one of the welcoming actions.
  
  
• Read one or more of the books listed in the "Booklist" below and compare and contrast the manner in which Abby deals with her loss of old friends and how she is trying to cope with being in a new neighborhood.

Booktalks Quick and Simple:
http://nancykeane.com/booktalks/santucci_abby's.htm