Hilwa’s Gifts by Safa Suleiman and Anita Semirdzhyan: A Book Review
This article first appeared in the NY Journal of Books on 1 April 2025.
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“Ali sings and dances. “Zaytoon, ya zaytoon!”
His cousins happily clap to the song.
Hilwa’s Gifts by Safa Suleiman, illustrated by Anait Semirdzhyan, is a soulful, practical, and pertinent children’s book that masterfully blends culture, tradition, and family.
Written by Palestinian American educator Safa Suleiman, the book brings forth a deep connection to Palestinian heritage, weaving both personal and universal themes.
The narrative—a young boy visiting his extended family in Palestine during the olive harvest—subtly echoes the spirit of Shel Silverstein's The Giving Tree, with its focus on familial love, change, and the cycles of life.
Hilwa's Gifts also introduces readers to several Palestinian words, then rewards them with a brief glossary at the end of the book, offering both a language lesson and a deeper connection to the story's setting.
Anita Semirdzhyan’s ((A-na-Ït Se-mir-jian) detailed depictions of the olive grove and the characters’ facial and body expressions tell the story, all on their own, such that readers will want to flip back through the book when they are done reading it the first time.
Meanwhile, the prose is lyrical and often downright poetic, particularly the ending, which is rather magically communicated by illustration rather than words.
Hilwa’s Gifts is a multi-layered book with heartfelt meanings that go far deeper than the simple story it presents. It is a book that will remain on the shelf long after the dust has settled and that will, no doubt, be lovingly appreciated when it is picked up to be read again.
