Maysoon Zayid, The Girl Who Can Can by Seema Yasmin & Noha Habaieb

As someone who enjoys but doesn’t follow much comedy (a lot of my favorites come from random clips passing through my Instagram,) I honestly don’t remember how I first became aware of groundbreaking comedian Maysoon Zayid. I do remember her inspirational TED Talk tho, which this book expands upon in a format more suitable for young readers.

(And yes, I know I said I’d spend the week discussing Middle Grade books. This biography is definitely still that, if a little on the younger end.)

Maysoon was born in New Jersey to Palestinian American parents. During her delivery, the doctor failed to extract her from the birth canal in time, leading to her brain not getting the oxygen she needed. She thus grew up with cerebral palsy, an unfortunately widespread disability that manifests in all sorts of ways, both physically and mentally.

After Maysoon was born, the doctors didn’t believe she’d even be able to walk. But her father would hold her up, placing her feet on his feet, and taught her, using the mantra, “Yes, you can can.” With this kind of start, how could Maysoon not grow up with a firm belief in herself? Her parents’ support was unwavering, even threatening to sue the public school her three older sisters attended when it tried to rebuff her enrollment (which was another reminder how lucky I am that I live in a county with copious student services.)

And so Maysoon never even thought that her desire to grow up to be an entertainer was out of her reach. When physical therapy turned out to be too expensive, her parents pragmatically enrolled her in dance classes instead. Maysoon began to learn some hard lessons then, not about her own limitations but about the way other people viewed her and her disability. While she worked hard to gain the technical proficiencies required to hone her abilities, even getting her acting degree from Arizona State University, she ran into the obstacle of other people constantly pre-judging her, as the cerebral palsy makes her shake and occasionally slur her words. Despite making strides in her acting career, it was only when she turned to stand-up comedy that she really began to shine.

Maysoon’s story is both entertaining and inspirational for any kid worried that their physical appearance will stop them from achieving their dreams. Working towards your ambitions is important, no matter what anyone around you says. If you enjoy what you do and want to pursue it, don’t let other people tell you that you’re not “right” for it because you don’t look or sound or behave like the average performer or scientist or athlete or what have you. Kids reading this book will internalize the fact that you don’t have to fit a mold in order to succeed. As a parent reading this, it also underscored how important it is for us caretakers to believe in our kids and give them the help they need.

Seema Yasmin’s writing is brisk and captures the essence of Ms Zayid’s humor. Noha Habaeib’s line illustrations do an excellent job of complementing both. It’s nice to have a spotlight on icons of Muslim origins, and this biography is a great way to kick off the Muslim Mavericks series.

Maysoon Zayid, The Girl Who Can Can by Seema Yasmin & Noha Habaieb was published February 10 2026 by Salaam Reads and is available from all good booksellers, including