A-list celebrities, including Oscar winners and athletes, have let their imaginations run wild by creating children's books with stories that convey powerful messages to children and adults.
Many famous people who have written children's books have been inspired by their own children.
Let's take a look at some stars you might not have known were also published authors.
A-list stars like Kevin Hart and Reese Witherspoon have written children's books. (Vivian Killilea/Getty Images for IMDb, James Devaney/GC Images)
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- Matthew McConaughey
- Julian Edelman
- Reese Witherspoon
- Channing Tatum
- Kelly Clarkson
- Kevin Hart
- Serena Williams
- Natalie Portman
1. Matthew McConaughey
“Okay, okay, okay.” Matthew McConaughey is not just an actor. He's also a writer.
Before writing the children's book, he penned a memoir, “Green Light,” in 2020.
His children's book, “Just Because,” will be published by Penguin Random House in 2023 and poetically shares the life lessons McConaughey has learned throughout his life.
Writing appears to be a family tradition for McConaughey: His wife, Camila Alves, is also a published children's author.
Matthew McConaughey and his wife Camila Alves are both children's book authors. (Rick Kahn/Getty Images)
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Alves' book, “Just Try One Bite,” co-written with Adam Mansbach, was published in 2022. In it, the traditional roles are reversed, with kids trying to get their picky parents to eat healthy foods.
2. Julian Edelman
Julian Edelman is a three-time Super Bowl champion and three-time children's book author.
The former New England Patriots player has published three versions of his story, “Flying High.”
This book tells the story of a little squirrel named Jules who dreams of playing soccer.
The three “Flying High” books were co-written with Assaf Swissa and illustrated by David Leonard.
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Edelman is also the author of a memoir titled “Relentless,” published in 2017.
3. Reese Witherspoon
It's no surprise then that the founder of Reese's Book Club is also a writer himself.
Reese Witherspoon started “Reese's Book Club” in 2017, with the actress recommending a story with a female lead to her readers each month.
Witherspoon is the author of three children's books.
The first book in the Busy Betty series will be published in 2022, followed by Busy Betty and the Circus Surprise in 2023 and Busy Betty and the Perfect Christmas Present in October 2024.
Reese Witherspoon has founded her own book club and written numerous children's books. (Chris Pizzello Pool/Getty Images)
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With the release of Busy Betty and the Circus Surprise in September 2023, Witherspoon spoke about the second series on Good Morning America.
“It's based on my childhood,” Witherspoon said on the show. “She's a very energetic young girl with a lot of crazy ideas about starting a business in her backyard.”
“In the first book her first business was a dog washing business, but in this book she actually throws a surprise circus party for her mother,” Witherspoon continued.
Prior to Busy Betty, Witherspoon wrote a book called Whiskey in a Teacup: What Growing Up Southern Taught Me About Life, Love, and Biscuit Making, which was published in 2018.
4. Channing Tatum
Channing Tatum is known for his work in films such as 21 Jump Street, Magic Mike and Foxcatcher. One of his other endeavors has been writing a series of children's books.
The first book in the series, The One and Only Sparkella, was published in 2021. The second book, The One and Only Sparkella Makes a Plan, was published in 2022. The third book, The One and Only Sparkella and the Big Lie, was published in 2023.
The children's book was inspired by Tatum's daughter, Everly “Evie” Tatum, with his ex-wife Jenna Dewan.
Channing Tatum was inspired by his daughter to write several books in the “The One and Only Sparkella” series. (Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for ABA)
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“The first book came about really quickly and easily,” Tatum told People magazine in 2022. “I was talking about experiences with Evie at a point in my life, and then the book came out. I never expected that the little moments between me and Evie that I wrote about in the book would resonate as much as they did.”
5. Kelly Clarkson
Grammy Award-winning artist Kelly Clarkson published her first children's book, River Rose and the Magical Lullaby, in 2016.
The story of a girl who plans a trip to the zoo and then can't sleep the night before the trip because she's so excited, was inspired by Clarkson's daughter, River Rose.
Luckily, her mother's lullaby is magical and she drifts off to a sleep filled with dreams of adventure.
A year later, Clarkson published her second book, River Rose and the Magical Christmas.
6. Kevin Hart
Kevin Hart's comedy has been seen by audiences across the country, both in stand-up comedy and at movie theaters, and he has also entertained young readers with his children's book, “Marcus Makes a Movie.”
To date, two books have been published in the series: the sequel, “Marcus Makes It Big,” was released in 2022;
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The first book is about a middle schooler who dreams of making a superhero movie, and in the second book, Marcus must build on the success of his first film by creating his next hit.
“It doesn't have to be one thing. You don't have to fit or slot into a category that's been created for you. You can create your own category,” Hart said about writing children's books on “Good Morning America” in 2022.
Kevin Hart has written two humorous books for children. (Arturo Holmes/Getty Images, courtesy of The Children's Place, Inc.)
“I'm very real-life oriented,” Hart said when asked how he came up with the book's stories. “I think art imitates real moments, real life, so for me it's all just coming from things that I've done, things that I can relate to.”
7. Serena Williams
Professional tennis player Serena Williams used her daughter's favorite doll as inspiration for her 2022 children's book, “The Adventures of Kai Kai.”
“A little girl learns to believe in herself with the help of her doll and best friend, Kai Kai,” the book's description reads.
“I really wanted to drive home to people how important it is to use your imagination and play and to believe in yourself,” Williams told Good Morning America in 2022. “So there's a really cool hidden message in there about self-confidence and knowing you can do it and getting back to the art of just being a kid.”
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8. Natalie Portman
Natalie Portman has had an extensive Hollywood career, winning an Oscar in 2011 for her role in Black Swan, playing first lady Jacqueline Kennedy in the 2016 film Jackie, and appearing in several Marvel movies.
In addition to her successful career in Hollywood, she has also written a children's book, “Natalie Portman Fables,” which puts new twists on classic tales such as “The Tortoise and the Hare,” “The Three Little Pigs” and “The Country Mouse and the City Mouse.”
This children's book was published in 2020 and features illustrations by Janna Mattia.
