By David Krogh
A Song for Nolan is a children’s picture book written by SE Portland author Rushie Ellenwood and colorfully illustrated by artist Sally Chen. It is about a young child named Nolan who is invited to a friend’s birthday party at a roller rink. Nolan identifies as “nonbinary” and, as such, has trouble deciding what to wear for the party. They are perplexed when the DJ calls out a skating song only for girls and later one only for boys. Nolan solves the dilemma by asking the DJ to call out a skating song for everyone.
This book is geared toward ages three to six and is profusely illustrated with bright and colorful pictures, including young children of many different racial and cultural groups. The book specifically deals with issues of gender identity and acceptance for a child at a young age.
One misconception today is that children don’t develop gender identity issues at an early age. The author said, “According to The American Academy of Pediatrics, most kiddos have a stable sense of their gender identity by age four, so this is absolutely a spot-on topic for the age group of this book.”
Ellenwood grew up in Seattle, majored in journalism at the University of Washington, and has been involved in many writing projects over the years. Per Ellenwood’s bio description, “As an openly gay/genderqueer writer, Rushie prides themself on being a fierce advocate for LGBTQIA+ kids and teens.”
Regarding the term “nonbinary,” GLAAD (formerly the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation until its renaming to GLAAD in 2013) suggests that although a person can be born a male or female, they might not exclusively fall within either of the binary gender categories of male and female. “Nonbinary is an umbrella term for people with a gender expression as falling outside the binary gender categories of man and woman.” Imagine a five- or six-year-old child identifying as nonbinary and you can better understand Nolan’s dilemma. Fortunately, Nolan has an understanding parent and friend, Chloe, to help. According to Ellenwood, “Books like mine exist to make spaces safer for kids like Nolan, who deserve to be treated with kindness and respect. We all have our differences and these things shouldn’t divide us. That’s pretty small-minded and I know we can all do better.”
Another item of interest is that Nolan is always referred to as “they” instead of the singular pronoun “he” or “she.” Ellenwood explained, “They and them have been used singularly for a long time when we don’t know a person’s gender such as ‘I wonder which teacher she has and when we’ll meet them?’ People who identify as nonbinary sometimes use they exclusively, like Nolan, or they’re comfortable with multiple pronouns such as they/he/she. Gender expression can be very fluid and isn’t limited to nonbinary folks. It’s all about expanding our ideas beyond old stereotypes so we all have more room to express ourselves freely.”
Little Bee Books and GLAAD are in partnership to present books like this, according to Ellenwood, “based on shared values to ensure fair, accurate and inclusive representation that rewrites the script for LGBTQ acceptance. I’m very proud to be part of this partnership, so kids like Nolan can feel seen and understood.”
The author was asked where readers can go to obtain additional information about gender identity. “There’s so much great info out there these days! I love Linz Amer’s YouTube channel and think their Ted Talk, found at bit.ly/3zpmMMt, on this topic is amazing. And of course, PFLAG (the largest organization dedicated to supporting, educating and advocating for LGBTQ+ people and those who love them) has been around forever and always has excellent resources.” (PFLAG was formerly known as Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays prior to its renaming to PFLAG in 2014.)
Finally, the author was asked, “What is the most important thing for people to learn and remember from this book?” “I want people to know it’s okay to be different. No matter who you are, you’re lovable and deserve kindness and respect—period. I also want kids to know how important good friends are, and how empowering it can be to build strong allies like (Nolan’s friend) Chloe.”
Information about A Song for Nolan can be found on Little Bee Books’ website, littlebeebooks.com/books/a-song-for-nolan, or by emailing publicity@littlebeebooks.com. For additional information about the author, visit rushiewrites.com/about.
A Song for Nolan is available online and at Powell’s Books and other local booksellers.
Author Rushie Ellenwood. Photo by Little Bee Books.
