Nawal’s Favorite Books to Read with Kids and Families

Below is a collection of books recommended by Nawal Qarooni, expert in family literacy, to share with your loved ones. They represent diverse and varied family makeups and reflect our multidimensional, nuanced world.

Please enjoy a special discount of 20% and free shipping on purchases of $25 or more using the code NAWALQAROONI25.

Picture Books

Eyes That Kiss in the Corners by Joanna Ho

Saturday by

Mama and Mommy and Me in the Middle by Nina Lacour

Grandpa Grumps by Katrina Moore

A Family Is a Family Is a Family by Sara O'Leary

Stella Brings the Family by Miriam B Schiffer

Grandad's Camper (Grandad's Camper) by Harry Woodgate

The Family Book by Todd Parr

This Is How We Do It: One Day in the Lives of Seven Kids from Around the World by Matt Lamothe

Pecan Pie Baby by Jacqueline Woodson

Mi Papi Tiene Una Moto (Spanish Edition) by Isabel Quintero

The Camping Trip by Jennifer K Mann

The Perfect Seat by Minh Lê

Going Down Home with Daddy by Kelly Starling Lyons

Just Like a Mama by Alice Faye Duncan

My Maddy by Gayle E Pitman

Papa, Daddy, & Riley by Seamus Kirst

The Paper Kingdom by Helena Ku Rhee

Bedtime Bonnet by Nancy Redd

Like the Moon Loves the Sky by Hena Khan

My Rainbow by Deshanna Neal

Fry Bread: A Native American Family Story by Kevin Noble Maillard

Nana Akua Goes to School by Tricia Elam Walker

Titan and the Wild Boars: The True Cave Rescue of the Thai Soccer Team by Susan Hood

A Big Mooncake for Little Star by Grace Lin

Deep in the Sahara by Kelly Cunnane

Lubna and Pebble by Wendy Meddour

The Field by Baptiste Paul

Freedom Soup by Tami Charles

Imagine by Juan Felipe Herrera

Rainbow Weaver: Tejedora Del Arcoíris (Bilingual English/Spanish) by Linda Elovitz Marshall

¡Vamos! Let's Go to the Market (World of ¡Vamos!) by Raúl the Third

Festival of Colors by Surishtha Sehgal

Adventures to School: Real-Life Journeys of Students from Around the World by Miranda Paul

The Boy Who Grew a Forest: The True Story of Jadav Payeng by Sophia Gholz

I Am Farmer: Growing an Environmental Movement in Cameroon by Miranda Paul

The Banana-Leaf Ball: How Play Can Change the World (CitizenKid) by Katie Smith Milway

I'm From by Gary R Gray Jr

Watercress by Andrea Wang

The Night Before Eid: A Muslim Family Story by Aya Khalil

The Artivist by Nikkolas Smith

Boyogi: How a Wounded Family Learned to Heal by David Barclay Moore

Chinese Menu: The History, Myths, and Legends Behind Your Favorite Foods by Grace Lin

Mommy's Hometown by Hope Lim

Desert Queen by Jyoti Rajan Gopal

Joy Takes Root by Gwendolyn Wallace

Just Like Grandma by Kim Rogers

Together We Swim by Valerie Bolling

¡Vamos! Let's Go Read (World of ¡Vamos!) by Raúl the Third

Say My Name by Joanna Ho

To the Other Side by Erika Meza

My Two Border Towns by David Bowles

A Family Like Ours by Frank Murphy

Nawal Qarooni is a Jersey City-based educator, writer and adjunct professor who supports a holistic approach to literacy instruction and family experiences in schools across the country. Drawing on her work as an inquiry-based leader, mother of four, and proud daughter of immigrants, Nawal’s pedagogy is centered in the rich and authentic learning all families gift their children every day. She and her team of coaches at NQC Literacy work with schools and districts to collectively grow teacher practice and children’s literacy lives. She is the author of Nourishing Caregiver Collaborations: Exalting Home Experiences and Classroom Practices in Collective Care (Stenhouse/ Routledge December 2023). In addition, she is a member of the National Council for Teachers of English Committee Against Racism and Bias in the Teaching of English; she evaluates manuscripts for Reese Witherspoon’s LitUp program, which platforms historically underrepresented voices in publishing; and she serves on the Library of Congress Literacy Awards Advisory Board, which funds powerful literacy programming across the country. Nawal holds a Bachelor of English from the University of Michigan, a Master of Teaching from Brooklyn College, and a Master of Journalism from Syracuse University’s Newhouse School. She won a New Jersey Press Association Award for her international reporting and transitioned into education as a New York City Teaching Fellow. You can learn more about her and her work at NQCLiteracy.org.