A boy visiting his grandparents in Palestine experiences the bounty of an olive harvest for the first time. Ali is especially fond of a mature olive tree he calls “Hilwa,” which Seedo (his grandfather) planted with his grandfather. Ali loves Hilwa so much that he first insists on harvesting her olives by hand rather than using the more efficient—but alarming!—method of hitting her with a stick to make the fruit fall. He changes his mind, though, when he realizes how quickly the fruit falls with a good whack. There are so many olives, and that’s not the only gift that Hilwa gives. Seedo takes Ali along to the olive press, where the grinding machine produces fresh oil to eat and for making soap, and pulp to kindle fires for bread. Together the family cooks and enjoys a meal under the trees to celebrate the harvest. “And that’s the greatest gift of all.” This Palestinian family’s love of the land and appreciation for nature’s gifts, combined with appealing behind-the-scenes details of olive processing, make this story both joyful and fascinating.

"Combining a centuries-old practice with the story about a Palestinian family and their relationship to the land make Hilwa's Gifts an absolute treasure." --Booklist (starred review)

A heartwarming picture-book debut brings a tradition many thousands of years old--harvesting and pressing olives into oil--vividly to life, showing how customs unite us across time and space.

Ali has arrived in Palestine for a visit just in time for the olive harvest. His grandfather, Seedo, and Hilwa--his favorite tree--greet him in the grove, where Seedo explains that Hilwa has many gifts to share. Other family members whack the trees' branches with sticks, singing "Zaytoon, ya zaytoon" while cousins clap and dance and happily pick up fallen olives. (Luckily, a gentle whack is all it takes for Hilwa's fruits to rain down!) The next day, at the olive press, Ali watches the drip of gold liquid into a can, another of Hilwa's gifts. Later, they picnic under the tree's branches with hot mint tea, pita, and delicious olive oil swirled on hummus. Tradition is the greatest gift of all: the family gathering--generation after generation--to celebrate a bountiful harvest. Dynamic illustrations and a graceful text peppered with Arabic words, plus a glossary and author's note, make for an intimate picture-book debut about a child discovering his heritage.