The Summer My Father Was Ten — Pat Brisson

It was the summer that the boys lost a baseball under a tomato plant in Mr. Bellavista's garden. Then someone tossed a tomato back instead of a 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 the quiet joy woven throughout the tale.