When Abby moves to Israel with her parents, she is excited for all the new places to visit, things to learn, and people to meet. However, she misses her grandmother back in the United States and how they used to jump in puddles together when it rained.

This is a sweet book about the loving relationship between a grandmother and her grandchild. It is apparently loosely based on the author's own experiences when her daughter moved to Israel. There are definitely some insights into Abby's life in Israel, although the focus is on the bond between her and her grandparent.

The illustrations fit the text well, showing the many expressions of the characters as time progresses and situations change. There is also some diversity within these, which is nice. ( )

Summary:
Abby and her family are Jewish and are moving away from her grandmother to Israel. Abby frequently emails her grandma and tells her all about the Hebrew language and traditions that she is learning while in Israel. Since it doesn't rain during the summer in Israel she recounts all these experiences with her while hoping for the rain that would give her some of the comforts from home like when her Abby and her grandmother used to play in the rain.

Reaction:
I didn't expect to learn Hebrew word or things about Israel in this book, but it was much more in depth then just a girl playing in the rain with her grandmother.

Extension:
1. This could start a conversation about other countries that students may have traveled to.
2. The students can be asked to find Israel on a map and also look up important information about it. ( )