Maysoon Zaid was the youngest of three daughters, born with a condition called cerebral palsy that sometimes caused her to shake in ways she couldn’t control. Though she faced challenges and discrimination for her condition, she and her family always saw her as someone who could achieve whatever she decided to achieve and work hard for. Her story is told in The True Story of… Maysoon Zayid, The Girl Who Can Can.

Written by Dr. Seema Yasmin and illustrated by Noha Habaieb, Maysoon Zayid launches the Muslim Mavericks series, which aims to provide positive, uplifting and encouraging narratives that highlight Muslim identity and notable contributions the community has made to society.

Raised in a family that treated her like everyone else, Zayid was surprised to find that others saw her as different. At first denied enrollment at the same public school in New York that her sisters attended, she and her dad fought for her acceptance. Zayid dreamed of being an actress, comedian, and dancer.

Yet many times in her life she encountered people who were unable to look beyond her disability. They told her her dreams were impossible. Zayid persevered, and today she has achieved many of the dreams she set out to accomplish from the time she was a child.

Based on interviews with Zayid, the story written by Yasmin will have young readers cheering the can-do spirit that has defined her life. Maysoon Zaid, The Girl Who Can Can is sure to inspire readers of all religious persuasions to believe in themselves. I recommend it for ages 6 to 10.

The publisher provided a copy of this title in exchange for my honest review.