In the multilingual emirates, located on the Arabian Gulf, a variety of languages and language varieties are in daily use among the diverse population. For the national population, the main participants in this project, Emirati Arabic, Modern Standard Arabic, and English are used in different contexts. This paper discusses the use of these and other languages by fathers while sharing reading with their young children, with a focus on the potential of enhancing their wellbeing by doing so. Having selected a range of high-quality children’s literature with the assistance of an expert panel, local fathers were invited by the team to participate in workshops to enhance their skills in sharing reading with their young children, and then report back to the team via WhatsApp voicenotes how the process went and which books they chose to read. Given the fact that books were provided in both English and Arabic, as well as in bilingual format, the text choices made by fathers and their children is interesting to note. Fathers report that children tended to choose to read more of the English-language classic children’s picture books provided, possibly because they were already familiar with these from their English Medium Education experiences in schools. When books in Arabic were chosen, children tended to choose the books related to the desert as it is closely related to the local context, especially activities they participate in with their fathers in the desert. Fathers also report that when the theme of the book was based on such shared context, they felt more connection with their children and generated more conversations in Emirati Arabic. The shared reading provides a translingual space in many homes and indicates the importance of parents sharing reading in all languages that are in the linguistic repertoire of their young children.