How is life different in New York City and Alexandria, Egypt? There are different languages, customs, foods and so much more. Today's book shares how one boy's life is different in both countries where he lives when visiting his grandparents. This review is for Read Your World Day! The book is Zamzam by Karen Leggett Abouraya and illustrated by Susan L. Roth. It is recommended for ages 5 to 9.
Read Your World 2026 (1/29/26) is in its 14th year! Valarie Budayr and Mia Wenjen founded this non-profit children’s literacy initiative; they are two diverse book-loving moms who saw a need to shine the spotlight on all of the multicultural diverse books and authors on the market while also working to get those books into the hands of young readers and educators.
Read Your World’s mission is to raise awareness of the need to include kids’ books celebrating diversity in homes and school bookshelves. Read about our Mission and history HERE.
Read Your World is honored to be Supported by these Medallion:
FOUNDER’S CIRCLE: Mia Wenjen (Pragmaticmom) and Valarie Budayr (Audreypress.com)
🏅 Super Platinum Sponsor: Author Deedee Cummings and Make A Way Media
🏅 Platinum Sponsors: Language Lizard Bilingual Books in 60 Languages and Jeanne Walker Harvey
🏅 Gold Sponsors: Publisher Spotlight
🏅 Silver Sponsors: Red Comet Press
🏅 Silver Corporate Sponsor: Kathy Choi
🏅 Bronze Sponsors: Fabled Films Press
🏅 Corporate Sponsor: Crayola Education
Read Your World is honored to be Supported by these Author Sponsors!
Authors: Audrey Barbakoff, Federico Erebia, Teddi Ahrens, Stephanie M. Wildman, Maritza M. Mejia, Authors J.C. Kato and J.C.², Eugenia Chu, Dorktales Storytime Podcast, Josh Funk, Frances Díaz Evans, Gaia Cornwall, Eric Clock, Maria Wen Adcock, Diana Huang, Gwen Jackson, Gea Meijering, Amanda Hsiung-Blodgett, Ismee Williams, Karin Fisher-Golton, Kathleen Burkinshaw, Tami Lehman-Wilzig, Daria Marmaluk-Hajioannou, Nancy Tupper Ling, Teresa Robeson, Crystal Z. Lee, Karen Leggett Abouraya, Elly Swartz, Robbin Miller, Shifa Safadi, Tonya Ellis, Lisa Stringfellow, Sylvia Liu, Kimberly Biddle, Nadine Pressley, Natahsa Yim Carter, and Lisa Chong.
Read Your World is Honored to be Supported by our CoHosts and Global CoHosts and by our Partner Organizations!
Check out RYW’s Multicultural Books for Kids Pinterest Board!
📌 FREE RESOURCES from Read Your World Day
- FREE RYW2026 Poster
- FREE Building Community with Bilingual Books 2026 Classroom Kit
- FREE Mental Health Support for Stressful Times Classroom Kit
- FREE Diversity Book Lists & Activities for Teachers and Parents
- FREE Homeschool Diverse Kidlit Booklist & Activity Kit
- FREE Teacher Classroom Activism and Activists Kit
- FREE Teacher Classroom Empathy Kit
- FREE Teacher Classroom Kindness Kit
- FREE Teacher Classroom Physical and Developmental Challenges Kit
- FREE Teacher Classroom Poverty Kit
- Gallery of Our Free Posters
- FREE Diversity Book for Classrooms Program
📌 Register for the Read Your World Virtual Party: https://readyourworld.org/virtualparty
Join us on Thursday, January 29, 2026, at 8 pm EST celebrating 14 years of Read Your World Day Virtual Party! Register here.
This epically fun and fast-paced hour includes multicultural book discussions, addressing timely issues, diverse book recommendations, & reading ideas.
We will be giving away a 10-Book Bundle during the virtual party plus Bonus Prizes as well! *** US and Global participants are welcome. **
Follow the hashtag #ReadYourWorld to join the conversation, and connect with like-minded parts, authors, publishers, educators, organizations, and librarians. We look forward to seeing you all on January 29, 2026, at our virtual party!
About the Book:
2025 Children’s Africana Book Award for Best Picture BookZamzam divides his time between his grandparents' homes in New York City in the United States and Alexandria, Egypt. While the two places are different in terms of sights, sounds, and flavors, they share much in common. But the most important thing they share is family love.
Readers are introduced to Zamzam, a young boy who enjoys life with family spread out over thousands of miles. In New York City in the United States, he enjoys playing his guitar while his grandparents clap along, making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with his grandmother, and going to Central Park with his grandparents to ride the carousel.
In Alexandria, Egypt, Zamzam sleeps in the same room his gedu (grandpa) slept in as a child, goes to the market with his gedetti (grandma) to buy fresh food, and plays his tabla (drum) for his grandparents.
Zamzam experiences big and little differences with his grandparents in each country but realizes that the most important of these experiences seem the same. His interactions with Grandma and Grandpa in New York City and Gedu and Gedetti in Alexandria are all based on his strong love for his grandparents and the different cultures to which they expose Zamzam.
Author Karen Leggett Abouraya and illustrator Susan L. Roth once again partner to bring a story of family to life using personal memories and stunning collage artwork. Karen Leggett Abouraya shares her son Adam and grandson Zamir's (nicknamed Zamzam) experiences as children visiting their grandparents in different parts of the world. Their experiences, along with the unique collages that Susan L. Roth created by using papers from all over the world, introduce the reader to a modern family dynamic:
- Diverse Backgrounds: Zamzam is growing up in a world where his parents and grandparents come from different ethnic backgrounds. Many children in the United States come from a background where their entire family grew up relatively close to each other, sometimes even in the same town. As people start to leave these towns for various reasons, they begin new lives in different parts of the country and even the world. Suddenly, grandparents, cousins, uncles, and aunts are not just around the corner, they're all over the world!
- Stories to share: Author Karen Leggett Abouraya utilizes her memories of her son Adam and grandson Zamir visiting their respective grandparents as children to show young readers that there are many different stories to tell about family not only in their own hometown, but around the world. Educators have an opportunity to discuss their students' own experiences with family members from around the country or the world and have them compare similarities and differences of their cultures.
Language and customs: The story is filled with many Arabic terms that are collected in a glossary at the back of the book along with a map of the world showing just how far New York City and Alexandria are. Language and geography are important aspects of becoming immersed in a culture. Karen crafts a story that teaches young readers about a different culture using non-English words, different foods, and even instruments to spark interest and further reading.
From Me:
Zamzam shares how life in New York with one set of grandparents differes from life with his other grandparents in Alexandria, Egypt. There are language differences, cultural differences, as well as different food, sleeping arrangements, travel and more. It is a wonderful look at the different cultures of both American life and Egyptian life from the point of view of a young boy.
Be sure to register for the Read Your World Day Virtual Party. It is full of giveaways!! Plus be sure to check out the big link party to find even more amazing diverse books perfect for different ages!!
