The Summer My Father Was Ten

Every year my father and I plant a garden. Tomatoes, peppers, onions, marigold, and zinnias grow in neat, straight rows...and every spring my father tells me about Mr. Bellavista and the summer my father was ten. -From the book. That was the summer the boy lost a baseball under a tomato plant in Mr. Bellavista's garden. And someone tossed a tomato back instead of the baseball. A lively battle took place, which seemed like great fun at the time, but in the end Mr. Bellavista's garden had been destroyed. In a touching story of one boy's efforts to make amends, we see the rebuilding of a garden and the forming of a relationship across generations. With luminous, beautifully detailed watercolors, the artist has captured both the sadness and show more the quiet joy woven throughout the tale. show less

A young boy and his friends have the wrong kind of fun in the tomato garden, ruining the elderly neighbor's entire crop. The boy and his family begin to spend time with the man in and out of the garden. A very gentle story about respect, friendship and maturing. Beautiful illustrations - a bit of an Italian feel.

I love this book because it's about honesty and the responsibility of one's actions and the importance of keeping a tradition alive. it teaches kids what a tradition is and the significance it has on a person.

This was a great book that was so realistic that I struggled to distinguish if it was a true story or not. I think this is a great story to read to your students because they will be able to connect to it very easy. It also has some really great themes.

This book shows the importance of acknowledging your wrong doings by apologizing, and making an effort to make things right before it becomes too late.

Back when her father was ten years old, he and his friends did a horrible thing to an old man's garden. He ended up redeeming himself, but the story is still told every year as he and his daughter plant their annual garden.

This book would be great in the classroom because it can teach students about the importance of traditions. its important for students to know the significance that traditions can have in a family.