Songbird in the Light: A Picture Book -- Billy Porter, Hardcover

From beloved Broadway icon Billy Porter, rising-star author Chris Clarkson, and award-winning illustrator Charly Palmer comes a beautiful picture book about the power of finding your voice.

Mama says her little boy is a songbird with a voice bigger than his whole body. But at school, his classmates make fun of the way he walks and the way he talks--which makes him feel like a songbird too shy to sing.

With the encouragement of his choir teacher, he embraces his talent, realizing that his voice is unique and distinct. When it's time for the school showcase, he's finally ready to embrace his joyful talent and share it with the world.

From Emmy, Grammy, and Tony Award winner Billy Porter, rising star Chris Clarkson, and award-winning illustrator Charly Palmer comes a beautiful and empowering story about learning to love yourself.

As Billy Porter notes is a powerful author's note: I created this book to remind children of their own joy. Their own love.... A kind of love that the world can't take away.

Author: Billy Porter
Publisher: Abrams Books for Young Readers
Published: 03/17/2026
Pages: 40
Binding Type: Hardcover
Size: 8.50h x 10.50w x 0.38d
ISBN: 9781419745836
Audience: Ages 4-8

Review Citation(s):
School Library Journal 11/01/2025 pg. 93
Kirkus Reviews 12/15/2025

About the Author
Billy Porter is an actor, singer, director, composer, and playwright from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He is the winner of the 2019 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for his portrayal of Pray Tell in Pose--the first openly gay Black man to be nominated and win in any lead acting category. Porter is also the winner of the 2013 Tony, Grammy, Drama Desk, and Outer Critics Circle Awards for his groundbreaking performance as Lola in Kinky Boots. He lives in New York. Chris Clarkson is the author of Chloe and the Fireflies, Where Did Benjamin Go?, and That Summer Night on Frenchmen Street. Clarkson lives in New Orleans, where he's building a collection of notebooks filled with stories waiting to be brought to life. Charly Palmer is a Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent Award and Children's Africana Book Award-winning illustrator and a renowned and fine artist. His work includes his Black Heritage Stamp design honoring Judge Constance Baker Motley, John Legend's Bigger Love album cover, Time magazine's "America Must Change" cover, the 75th anniversary edition of NBA 2K22, and the award-winning The New Brownies' Book: A Love Letter To Black Families, which he coauthored.