Faizah (Black) loves the feeling of belonging to a community and feeling part of the crowd at mosque when she prays. “It feels right. / I feel right.” But at her fencing class, her teacher is encouraging her to take a step outside her comfort zone by competing in an upcoming tournament. Faizah doesn’t feel ready. “Bravery grows in your mind. But its roots are in your heart,” Mama says, telling Faizah not to worry because “bravery will grow.” Faizah’s looks up to her big sister Asiya, who’s also a fencer. Asiya encourages Faizah to enter the tournament too. But it isn’t until Faizah’s teacher asks her to demonstrate a move for the class that Faizah finds the courage to step up and stand out. When she does, she realizes that people aren’t looking at her, they are looking at what she can do. “So that they can do it too.” Colorful mixed-media illustrations provide a cheery backdrop for this story about developing the confidence to shine. Scenes show Faizah’s loving family, joyful best friendship, and her Muslim faith, all of which are woven seamlessly through the story.

In this call to bravery from Olympic medalist Ibtihaj Muhammad, Faizah learns to overcome her fears and stand in front of the crowd in this beautiful celebration of family, fencing, and community.



Faizah loves being part of the community at her mosque, and she loves being part of the group at her fencing lessons. When all eyes are on her, though, Faizah freezes up. Mama says bravery will come with time, but there's a fencing tournament coming up--does Faizah have what it takes to be bold?



Love, honesty, and courage shine through every page of this empowering picture book from the bestselling, award-winning team behind The Proudest Blue and The Kindest Red.