The Summer My Father Was Ten (Hardcover)

by Pat Brisson (Author), Andrea Shine (Illustrator)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal
Kindergarten-Grade 2?Every spring a girl and her father plant their garden. This shared time is, in turn, the catalyst for the man to recount once again the summer he was 10, a story readers hear through the words of his daughter. He had a neighbor who carefully tended his garden through the day and listened to opera music in the evening. A game of baseball that her father and his friends were playing turned into an afternoon of destruction when the ball landed in the garden and led to the boys throwing every tomato, onion, and pepper that they could get their hands on. The neighbor could only ask, "Why?" The child's father said he was remorseful and volunteered to help the old man the next summer, leading to a long friendship and his own love of gardening. Full-page watercolors depict a quaint seaside village while jeans and sneakers worn by the daughter set the story in the present day. Unfortunately, the faces are not well illustrated and the aftermath of the ruin of the garden seems a bit too impressionistically genteel. Teachers looking for a supplemental title on facing the consequences of one's behavior may find this useful, but it's unlikely to get requests for repeated readings.?Susan Pine, New York Public Library
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
Ages 4^-8. Growing a garden is fact and metaphor in this profoundly moving cross-generational story with a neighborhood drama that children will relate to and exquisite watercolors that celebrate renewal and connection. A young girl tells how every year she and her father plant a garden together, and every year he tells her the story of the summer he was 10 when he led his mates in vandalizing the garden of his lonely, old Italian neighbor, Mr. Bellavista ("Spaghetti Man" the kids call him). The damage isn't deliberate; their baseball lands in the plants, and suddenly the boys are having a glorious time splattering tomatoes and peppers and tearing things up. Afterwards, Mr. Bellavista says only one word, "Why?" Next year, he doesn't plant anything. The guilt-stricken boy apologizes, and together, he and Mr. Bellavista clear, dig, plant, and grow things. Until he dies, the solitary immigrant is friends with the boy's small family. No messages are spelled out. As in Shine's illustrations for Diller's Big Band Sound (1997), the large double-page spreads of people and neighborhood burst with light and movement. The personal narrative voice, the heartfelt characters, and the daily gardening work--weeding, watering, watching--are celebrated in the gorgeously detailed pictures that show how a garden transforms a vacant lot. Hazel Rochman

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4-8
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Boyds Mills Press; 1st edition (March 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1563974355
• ISBN-13: 978-1563974359
• Product Dimensions: 12.3 x 9.2 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #178,975 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A SIMPLE STORY WELL TOLD. , November 11, 2006

By	D. Blankenship (The Ozarks) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Summer My Father Was Ten (Paperback)

I must admit to have been rather taken back by this tale. The entire story is so close to a situation that happened to me when I was around the age of the young lad in this story, that I almost feel like it was taken from by head by the author. I too have told the story to my children and now gradchildren. In the story in this book, a young man does harm to an older man's garden, regrets it and them makes amends. He learns a good lesson in life through his actions. The author has done a very nice job of telling this story and the illustrations are quite well done. This is an interesting book to read to a class of young children and it is rather amazing how many of the children have had similiar experiences. It is also rather amazing as to how many will admit it and are willing to discuss it with a bit of prompting. I use this work in class a lot and find it quite helpful. Recommend this one highly.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gentle tale of redemption, July 4, 2006

By	TamarDC "tamardc" (Newton, MA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Summer My Father Was Ten (Paperback)

This gentle tale of redemption is appropriate for the six and older child or either gender. In the story, the protagonist (a ten year old boy) redeems an act of mindless vandalism (the destruction of an old man's vegetable garden) by assisting the victim in planting a new garden. This act of redemption develops into a friendship with a lasting and positive affect on the protagonist's life.

This book manages to deliver a profound and important moral message without preaching, but rather through gentle persuasion. The text is simple and well written and the illustrations beautiful. I highly recommend this book.

5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A touching story about a boy who learns from his errors., May 26, 1999

By A Customer

A young boy recounts the story his father tells him every year about the time, when he was ten years old, the father succumbed to the irresistible temptation of ripe tomatoes growing in his neighbor's garden, and in the process of having a vegetable war with his friends,demolished the garden. The father goes on to relate how he finally made amends with the elderly neighbor, and forever after planted a garden each year. The illustrations combine with the text to provide a moving example of how children can learn from their errors, and see the value of control over their behavior, and respect for others as well as themselves. The story is well told without a hint of sermonizing.