Sitti's Olive Trees
Reema's grandmother tells her about the olive harvest in her village in Palestine, in a warm audiobook about family, heritage and storytelling.
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What is Sitti's Olive Trees about?
Sitti's Olive Trees is an audiobook for children about Reema, a girl growing up far from Palestine, and the stories her grandmother, Sitti, tells her about the family's olive trees.
One day in the kitchen, Sitti rubs a drip of olive oil into Reema's curls. Reema is surprised: oil is for eating! But this is no ordinary oil. It is zayt zaytun, sent every year by Reema's uncles from the family's trees in Palestine, and not a single drop may be wasted. Sitti takes Reema on her lap and tells her about the harvest.
Each autumn, families gather in the groves to pick green and black olives, climbing ladders to reach the highest branches while the elders sort the buckets. At the end of the day they share a picnic and tea around a small fire, and the elders tell stories. The trees, some hundreds of years old, grow on hills lined with stone walls that the villagers built by hand. Reema's great-grandparents planted and cared for them, and her uncles still do.
The story celebrates family, heritage and the stories passed from one generation to the next. It shows children why something as ordinary as a bottle of olive oil can be precious, and it ends with Sitti's promise that one day Reema will plant her own trees. It was written by Nada Hassan and illustrated by Sumbul Qureshi.
What your child will learn
- Grandparents' stories connect us to our family and where we come from.
- Good things take hard work, and we should not waste them.
- Families share both the work and the joy of the harvest.
- We can pass on what we learn to the people who come after us.
Talk about it afterwards
- Why did Sitti say that not a single drop of olive oil could be wasted?
- What happens during the olive harvest in Sitti's village?
- What stories do your grandparents tell about when they were young?
- What would you like to pass on to your own children one day?
Words to know
- Sitti
- Arabic for "my grandmother", used in Palestine and nearby countries.
- Zayt zaytun
- Arabic for olive oil.
- Habibti
- Arabic for "my darling", said to a girl.
Frequently asked questions
What is Sitti's Olive Trees about?
A grandmother tells her granddaughter about the olive harvest in her village in Palestine, and why every drop of olive oil from the family's trees is precious.
How long is Sitti's Olive Trees?
About 8 minutes.
Does Sitti's Olive Trees have music?
No. It is music-free.
