Danna Zeiger & Josée Bisaillon
Rewriting the Rules
How Dr. Kathleen Friel Created New Possibilities for Brain Research and Disability
When Kathleen Friel was young, she was diagnosed with cerebral palsy, and a doctor told her parents all the things she’d never be able to do.
They left his office for good and found a new doctor.
As Kathleen grew up, she found her own methods to tackle tricky tasks and make her way through the world. After becoming fascinated by science, she went on to earn a PhD, investigating how injured brains can build new connections. She now runs her own lab, developing new techniques to help others with cerebral palsy.
This is the incredible story of how a determined scientist rewrote the rules and followed her dreams.
Millbrook Press
Non-fiction Picture Book
Age 6+
32 pp | US$ 14.99
hc | 254 x 280 mm
Publication: September 2025
Author: Danna Zeiger
Illustrator: Josée Bisaillon
All rights available, excl. Chinese (simpl. & compl.), Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Spanish, Turkish
- Look inside
- Video trailer
- A fascinating introduction to Kathleen Friel, who was born with cerebral palsy and grew up to earn a PhD and start her own lab to help kids with cerebral palsy
Awards
“This stellar biography checks multiple positive role model boxes: a challenge-defying, determined, rule-breaking, problem-solving woman of STEM.”—Booklist, 17 July 2025
“The visual representation of Friel and her life experiences is superbly rendered in fluid and bright images that highlight her accomplishments as a differently abled person rather than a singular focus on cerebral palsy. . . A must-purchase for all libraries as it reflects the best that modern biographies for young readers have to offer.”—starred, School Library Journal, 16 May 2025
By the same author/illustrator