Children’s book author from Montana aims to celebrate families and provide important life skills

Billings, Montana – The children’s book “You Can’t Lay an Egg” by Nancy Belinak, a native of Billings, was inspired by several chapters of her life and teaches kids about acceptance.

“I used animals to talk about the differences in people, and we are all given different gifts,” Belinak said. “We really do all have a purpose.”

Belinak was raised on a farm and the animals she saw there served as inspiration for the characters in her tale.

“The funny thing is, my mom did not like this horse, the hero of this story,” Belinak said.

Mr. Rat and Mr. Turkey, two more characters in the novel, learn important lessons from that horse. Becca DeMeyer, an artist from Billings, created the pictures in the book that depict all of the characters learning those skills.

“Hopefully this book, for one child, will tell a story that it’s okay if you’re different, you know, shake your tale, shine, but don’t be someone that you are not. Be who you are,” Belinak said.

Belinak penned the novel as a tribute to her ancestors and childhood farm experiences.

“I have lost my three brothers, and my mom and dad within a short period. So, I thought what a great way to make a tribute,” she said. “I hope that my parents, somewhere, will know that it was because of them that we grew up in a wonderful place and they instilled that in us.”

She used her experiences from working in education for decades to inform the book’s writing as well. She was inspired to devise a method to assist in changing the way that youngsters felt different from their peers after witnessing it personally.

The book is available on Barnes & Noble, Walmart, and Amazon for $19.99 in paperback.

Belinak expressed her desire to return her earnings to schools to assist in covering the cost of the children’s lunches.