Article by Elise Habel    |    Photos by Arianna Skoog

Nancy Besel Belinak has a heart for those beyond the fold, the belonging-seekers. After dedicating 25 years to teaching Special Education and Gifted students, raising a family of her own, and caring for her parents and family through difficult times, Nancy became the author of two thoughtful children's books, both written with the vision of teaching acceptance and loving others in a truly creative and Montanan fashion.

“You Can’t Lay An Egg” and “Friends With Pig Tails” both tell stories of kindness and friendship, all in the delightful perspective of Nancy’s childhood farm animals. “I kept bouncing this idea around about writing a book and thinking, how could I do this where I could get my message across and also make it a tribute to my family?” Her endearing stories bring to life the imaginative world of her youth, dedicated to her mother and father, Uncle Rueb, and Aunt Minnie.

DAYS ON THE FARM

Nancy and her brothers grew up on their parents’ farm south of Laurel. The farm was full of every kind of farm animal someone could think of, from goats to chickens, and pigs to turkeys. “I look back now and I realize we really didn’t have anything,” Nancy reminisces. “But we thought we had the world.” On Sundays, all of Nancy’s cousins would travel to the farm to visit Uncle Rueben and Aunt Minnie and gather together around a big family meal. “It’s funny,” says Nancy, “my whole life, my cousins called my mother Aunt Minie, but I never really knew why. Her name was Mary, but Minie is what always stuck.” Rightfully so, the owners of the farm in Nancy’s books are named just that - Uncle Rueb and Aunt Minnie

As Nancy grew up, she impatiently anticipated the day she could grow out of the farm and be nearer to the city like her friends. She became a teacher at Laurel Public Schools and began her next great journey.

WHEN CLASS WAS IN SESSION

As much as teachers shape their students, the students also have a miraculous way of shaping the teachers. Nancy’s compassion and love for the Special Ed and Gifted children in her life are evident in the way that she tells their stories as she looks back on them. “Being a teacher, you know, you see a lot of stuff.” She remembers that her students loved activities such as poetry, acting, art, and singing. “It was beautiful,” she says, “but it set them apart, and that just broke my heart.” Living out a career caring for and educating students who seemed to live on the outside, looking in, was a labor of love for Nancy, but also came with its heartbreak. “It really bothered me; I saw so much intolerance and non-acceptance and bullying.”

 It was in these years that her dream  of writing a book that could make a  difference began to take shape. “I always  thought ‘someday I’m going to write a book’, but I had no idea how, when,  or why.” Nancy faithfully served the students in Laurel for 25 years before she retired to care for her family. 

THE HEART BEHIND THE PAGES

“You Can’t Lay An Egg” was published as Nancy’s first book in 2024. “All of the animals in this book look up to Dolly, the horse.” Nancy beams. “She’s pretty, she can run fast, and Uncle Rueb uses her for lots of important things.” As the story goes on, each animal begins to wonder what they are each worth - if Dolly is so lovely and important, what gives each of them value? “They find out that every one of them has a purpose.” Says Nancy. “I chose a turkey and a rat to be the spokesman of the animals, and to us it’s hard to see the purpose of a turkey and a rat sometimes, but in my experience, it was always those who seemed to have the least to offer that had the most important things to say.”

In Nancy’s second book, “Friends With Pig Tails”, a trailer full of strange animals arrives at the farm one day, and the animals all have to muster up the courage to greet the strange creatures. To their surprise, the new animals are nervous about their new home and hope only to make new friends and settle into their new place on the farm.

Both of Nancy’s books are available for purchase at This House of Books, Ace Hardware on Zimmerman, and in Laurel at The Front Porch and Hair on Main.

Nancy’s vision for her two stories is to encourage all people, children and adults alike, to stick their head out in boldness and extend a hand to those who seem to be pushed to the fringe or new.

Originally printed in the July 2025 issue of Simply Local Magazine

Check this article out in the digital issue of Simply Local here!

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