DUBAI: Talia Rida, a 17-year-old author and senior at Dubai American Academy, launches her debut children’s book, The Gifted Garden. Published by Motivate Media Group, the illustrated story arrives in UAE bookstores and on Amazon during ADHD Awareness Month, Dyslexia Awareness Month and the UAE’s Year of the Family 2026. Inspired by her personal journey, it offers young readers a warm reminder that there is no single right way to grow.
For much of her school life, Talia found it difficult to learn in the way she was expected to, and harder still to understand why. Over time, she came to realize that nothing about her needed fixing; her mind simply worked in its own way. Learning to work with the mind she had became the inspiration for her first book.
Set in a garden shared by a group of animal friends, the story follows characters who each notice, communicate and experience the world in their own way. When a storm approaches and the garden needs care, every friend contributes a distinct strength. Together, they show that difference is not something to hide or fix, but part of what helps a community bloom.
“The Gifted Garden began as a small seed of an idea, the belief that the world is beautiful because we are not all the same,” said Talia Rida. “These traits are not things that need to be fixed, they are strengths that make us who we are.”
Written to be read at home or in the classroom, The Gifted Garden gives parents and teachers a gentle way to talk with children about the many ways people learn, feel and grow. It closes with a ‘Meet the Friends’ page and a personal reflection from Talia to her young readers.
The story does not offer a single account of neurodiversity; it invites children and families to recognize that people have different needs, perspectives and strengths, and that all belong.
Talia read from the book to a packed room of friends, families and young readers at a launch event in Dubai on 21 October, surrounded by life-size versions of the garden’s characters.
The Gifted Garden is available in leading bookstores across the UAE and on Amazon.
A portion of the proceeds from sales of The Gifted Garden will go to charity.
Source: Emirates 24|7