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.