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A Song for Nolan

Illustrated by Sally Chen
Published by little bee books
Distributed by Simon & Schuster

About The Book

Get ready to roll with Nolan! Boys' skate! Girls' skate! Leave it to Nolan, who is nonbinary, to bring everyone together to sing, dance, and groove in this celebration of being yourself.

"Chen's thin-lined, saturated artwork is an ideal partner to Ellenwood's characterization in this uplifting tale about making room for oneself-and all." - Publisher's Weekly

"A useful reminder about the importance of inclusion for anyone planning group events." - School Library Journal


When Nolan is invited to a birthday party at the roller rink, they are so excited. They pick out the perfect, sparkling outfit, tie on their snazzy skates, and join their friends for a day of roller skating bliss. But when the DJ calls for a boys skate followed by a girls skate, Nolan feels left out. With courage and a strong sense of self, Nolan bravely requests a song for EVERYONE. This powerful and joyful picture book uplifts and celebrates nonbinary children.

Published in partnership with media advocacy organization GLAAD, this empowering book positively represents LGBTQ families.

About The Author

About The Illustrator

Product Details

Raves and Reviews

Wearing a carefully chosen outfit (suspenders and a feather boa), brown-skinned, pink-haired Nolan, who is nonbinary, arrives at a friend's skating-rink birthday party. Following an incident of misgendering, getting stuck on the rink during a binary "boys'?" skate session interrupts Nolan's carefree dance under the colorful lights, and leads to a tumble and feelings of distress ("DO I EVEN BELONG HERE?!"). But Nolan makes a request to the DJ that both saves the day and results in an invite for everyone to skate. Chen's thin-lined, saturated artwork is an ideal partner to Ellenwood's characterization in this uplifting tale about making room for oneself-and all. Background characters are portrayed with various abilities, body types, and skin tones.

– Publisher's Weekly

Chen's vibrant, jewel-toned illustrations capture the chaotic sensory environment of the roller rink . . . A useful reminder about the importance of inclusion for anyone planning group events.

– School Library Journal

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