What Luke read to me tonight

It's been a long time since Luke has done some reading aloud. For a while now, our routine has been that I read to him at bedtime and then he reads to himself. For instance, right now, I'm reading Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder and he is reading Trouble in Pembrook. Anyway, tonight, I thought that I would like to hear him read to me. I checked out what I thought would be a delightful book and I was right! I checked out The Garden in the City by Gerda Muller. It looks like this book is out of print and I couldn't find an image of the cover, but I did find a sampling of Gerda Muller's lovely illustrations. This is the story of Ben and Caroline who move into a house in the city. There happens to be a large backyard that has seen some serious neglect. Ben and Caroline and their parents set out to make a plan to restore the garden. They grow a lawn and both Ben and Caroline each get small spaces to have their own gardens. Caroline chooses to grow vegetables and Ben grows flowers. There's so much nature in here that one could make an entire nature study from just this book!
Ben and Caroline show so much enthusiasm for their garden and the backyard. It's obvious that the children get so much joy from gardening and outdoor living. Ben and Caroline also meet another little boy (who happens to be named Luke) who is in a wheelchair. He also loves gardening and he happens to grow beautiful things in pots on his balcony. Luke knows so much about birds, flowers and insects. He teaches Ben and Caroline about the different birds in their garden. Slowly, the seasons change and we get to see how the yard changes through each season. I love the rhythm of watching the garden transition slowly into each season and it each season, the garden looks inviting! It's a beautiful book and it's a shame that it's out of print. This book was originally published in Germany.