Mary J. Blige is ready to share her debut children’s picture book, “Mary Can!” with the world. Earlier today (March 7), the undisputed queen of hip hop soul took to social media to unveil its first copy. The book is an inspirational and motivational tale about a little girl who shows that anyone can turn their dream into a reality if they believe in themselves. “I’m so excited about ‘Mary Can!’ I almost want to cry because it’s funny how you can go through so much hell, and it can turn into someone else’s heaven. This book is dedicated to little kids all over the world that feel like they can’t. Remember, I said ‘Mary Can!’ and you can too. It was inspired [by] a real part of my life.”

Blige has previously stated that, like the story’s character, people used to tell her “no” and what she couldn’t do. But instead of letting it tear her down, she said it motivated her even more. “And I use all of that to help someone, a little girl somewhere in the world whose being told that she can’t, that you can do whatever that you put your mind and your heart to,” she continued. “Remember you can do it ’cause ‘Mary Can!’ too.”

“It feels unreal opening the first copy of my picture book!” Blige captioned her IG post. “This is so personal for me. Thank you, Harper Kids and Ashleigh Corrin, for making this dream come true. Preorders are available through the link in my bio.”

In November 2022, the New York native announced on IG that she had written the book based on her childhood and adult experiences. “My hope with this book is that it instills in kids from an early age that they can do anything they aspire to do,” she wrote about “Mary Can!” “There are no limits to what they can accomplish!” “Mary Can!” will be officially out on March 28.