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
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Grandpa Grumps by Katrina Moore

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Stella Brings the Family by Miriam B Schiffer

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The Family Book by Todd Parr

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Pecan Pie Baby by Jacqueline Woodson

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The Camping Trip by Jennifer K Mann

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Going Down Home with Daddy by Kelly Starling Lyons

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Just Like a Mama by Alice Faye Duncan

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My Maddy by Gayle E Pitman

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The Paper Kingdom by Helena Ku Rhee

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Bedtime Bonnet by Nancy Redd

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My Rainbow by Deshanna Neal

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Nana Akua Goes to School by Tricia Elam Walker

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Deep in the Sahara by Kelly Cunnane

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Lubna and Pebble by Wendy Meddour

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The Field by Baptiste Paul

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Freedom Soup by Tami Charles

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Imagine by Juan Felipe Herrera

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Festival of Colors by Surishtha Sehgal

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I'm From by Gary R Gray Jr

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Watercress by Andrea Wang

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The Artivist by Nikkolas Smith

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Desert Queen by Jyoti Rajan Gopal

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Joy Takes Root by Gwendolyn Wallace

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Together We Swim by Valerie Bolling

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Say My Name by Joanna Ho

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My Two Border Towns by David Bowles

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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.