Billy Porter’s new kids’ book
Billy Porter released a children’s book, Songbird in the Light, on March 17 — it’s illustrated by Charly Palmer and inspired by Porter’s recovery from a sepsis coma. (artthreat.net)
Abrams Books for Young Readers lists Songbird in the Light as a 40-page hardcover (ISBN 9781419745836) with a $19.99 list price. (abramsbooks.com) The title is credited to Billy Porter with co-writer Chris Clarkson, who is the New Orleans–based author of children’s titles such as Chloe and the Fireflies. (chrisclarksonauthor.com) Illustrator Charly Palmer’s résumé includes a Time magazine cover commission, the John Legend Bigger Love album artwork, and a 2024 NAACP Image Award–winning coauthored book, and Palmer has been commissioned by the U.S. Postal Service for a Black Heritage stamp. (charlypalmer.com) (web.nypl.org) Porter has publicly described the medical crisis that followed a kidney/urinary infection in September 2025 as leaving him clinically unresponsive for three days and has called himself a “walking miracle” in recent interviews. (latimes.com) In interviews Porter said doctors put him on ECMO life support and that emergency surgery was required to treat a leg complication during his hospitalization. (eonline.com) Porter has promoted the book and discussed its origins on TODAY and in a Publishers Weekly Q&A, saying singing helped him survive and that writing the story forced him to revisit—and then soften—childhood bullying memories for a young audience. (today.com) (publishersweekly.com) Hardcover, e‑book and audiobook editions are being distributed through standard retail channels and audiobook platforms (Recorded Books/Audible and Libro.fm carry the audio edition, listed at roughly a 50‑minute runtime). (audible.com) (libro.fm)
