I Have An Olive Tree- Eve Bunting (1999)

This book is about a young Greek girl that wants a skateboard from her grandfather for her birthday. He ends up giving her an olive tree that is  located in Greece. At first she is disappointed, but then realizes that it is important to learn about where your family comes from and to be proud of your heritage.

As an adult, I enjoy this book. I think that if I was a child reading it, I may get bored because the plot isn't very climatic and I wouldn't be familiar with the Greek culture. It is a very good story about another culture, and I think it is something more students should be exposed to. One thing I enjoyed about this book is the use of symbolism such as the grandmothers beads the the olive tree. The art in the book is also fantastic and compliments the story. Although this book was enjoyable, I think I was drawn more to the art than the words. The illustrations were able to carry the text. It is a perfect example of illustrations that could tell the story if the text was missing. The illustrations are also very bold and colorful and can easily grab a students attention. There is one point where the orientation of the text changes. I found this to be extremely unique and it helps the book stand out on its own.

This book could be used in my future classroom to help children identify with different cultures. It could also open up a discussion about where the students ancestors are from, what things are important to their family, and what traditions their family has.