CCBC Booklists

CCBC booklist are compiled from books we have recommended in various editions of CCBC Choices. Most of these booklists are updated annually. You can also select books from one or more booklists to create a custom list, which can also include additional books from the CCBC-Recommended Book Search.

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Hilwa's Gifts

by Safa Suleiman

CCBC Review:

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. ©2026 Cooperative Children’s Book Center

Illustrated by Anait Semirdzhyan

CCBC Age Recommendation: 4-8
Age Range: PreK-Early Elementary (Ages 4-7) Grades 3-5 (Ages 8-10)
Format: Picture book
Subjects: Food and Cooking Grandfathers Grandmothers Nature/Environment
Diversity subjects: Arab Asian Middle East Muslim
On CCBC Booklist: Global Reading: Selected Books for Children and Teens Set in Other Countries

Publisher: Candlewick
Publish Year: 2025
Pages: 40
ISBN: 9781536229424
CCBC Location: Picture Book, Suleiman

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