These Olive Trees

The importance of olive trees to one Palestinian family is magnified in this picture book focused on a child’s awareness of her family’s history. Drawing on personal background, per an author’s note, Ghanameh introduces Oraib, a girl who lives in “a makeshift canvas house in the Balata refugee camp... the only home she’s ever known.” Just outside the camp, Oraib’s family carries on her ancestors’ tradition of caring for olive trees: before war prompted them to flee, her family “tended the olive trees... for hundreds of years” in the coastal village of Al-Tira. As war again draws close and the family prepares to journey from the camp, Oraib worries about the future of the local trees, and resolves to ensure that they endure. In an earthy palette and velvety textures, Ghanameh’s hand-drawn, digitally finished illustrations portray the family’s ancestral home and the camp, while ghostly arms suggest rising threats. Bittersweet in both words and images, this moving debut conveys one girl’s powerful attempt to secure her family’s legacy despite uncertainty. Ages 3–5. (Aug.)