Shared picture book reading in Emirati homes

This chapter reports on a shared book-reading intervention that was implemented to increase Emirati fathers’ involvement in their 4- and 5-year-old kindergarten children’s language and literacy development through interactive shared book reading at home in the United Arab Emirates. The chapter also outlines some criteria for selecting culturally and linguistically accessible picture books for young children in this context. Drawing on fathers’ accounts of their shared reading experiences with their children and observations of their children’s responses, the chapter examines how the fathers engaged in home-based shared book reading and the language and literacy practices they used. It concludes with guidance for parents on opportunities and possibilities for reading with young children at home.