A-list celebrities, including Oscar winners and athletes, have let their imaginations run wild by creating children’s books with stories that provide powerful messages for children and adults.
Many of the celebrities who have written children’s books have looked to their own kids for inspiration.
Take a look at several stars who you may not have known are also published authors.
Kevin Hart, Reese Witherspoon and other A-list stars have written children’s books. (Vivien Killilea/Getty Images for IMDb I James Devaney/GC Images)
- Matthew McConaughey
- Julian Edelman
- Reese Witherspoon
- Channing Tatum
- Kelly Clarkson
- Kevin Hart
- Serena Williams
- Natalie Portman
1. Matthew McConaughey
“Alright, alright, alright,” Matthew McConaughey isn’t just an actor. He’s an author, too.
Before writing his children’s book, he penned a memoir, “Greenlights,” in 2020.
His children’s book, “Just Because,” was published by Penguin Random House in 2023 and poetically shares life lessons McConaughey has learned through his life.
For the McConaugheys, writing seemingly runs in the family. His wife, Camila Alves is also a published children’s book author.
Matthew McConaughey and his wife Camila Alves are both authors of children’s books. (Rick Kern/Getty Images)
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Alves’ book, “Just Try One Bite,” was co-written with Adam Mansbach and published in 2022. In the book, traditional roles are reversed with kids trying to get their picky eater parents to eat healthy food.
2. Julian Edelman
Three-time Super Bowl champion Julian Edelman is also a three-time children’s book author.
The former New England Patriot has published three versions of his story, “Flying High.”
The books are about a small squirrel named Jules who dreams of playing football.
The three “Flying High” books were written in collaboration with Assaf Swissa and illustrated by David Leonard.
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Edelman is also the author of a memoir titled “Relentless,” that was published in 2017.
3. Reese Witherspoon
It comes as no surprise the founder of “Reese’s Book Club” is also an author herself.
Reese Witherspoon started “Reese’s Book Club” in 2017. The actress recommends a book to readers each month with a woman as the focus of the story.
Witherspoon is the author of three children’s books.
The first of the “Busy Betty” books came out in 2022, followed by “Busy Betty & the Circus Surprise” in 2023 and “Busy Betty & the Perfect Christmas Present,” released in October 2024.
Reese Witherspoon founded her own book club and has penned multiple children’s books. (Chris Pizzello-Pool/Getty Images)
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In September 2023, with the release of “Busy Betty & the Circus Surprise,” Witherspoon spoke on “Good Morning America” about the second book in the series.
“It’s based on my childhood,” Witherspoon said on the show. “She’s a very spirited young girl who has all these crazy ideas about businesses she wants to build in her backyard.”
“Her first business in the first book was a dog washing business and in this book, she actually throws a circus surprise party for her mother,” Witherspoon went on to say.
Before “Busy Betty,” Witherspoon wrote the book “Whiskey in a Teacup: What Growing Up in the South Taught Me About Life, Love, and Baking Biscuits,” which was published in 2018.
4. Channing Tatum
Channing Tatum is known for films like “21 Jump Street,” “Magic Mike” and “Foxcatcher.” One of his other endeavors was penning a series of children’s books.
The first 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. And the third of the series, “The One and Only Sparkella and the Big Lie,” was published in 2023.
The children’s books are inspired by Tatum’s daughter, Everly “Evie” Tatum, whom he shares with ex-wife, Jenna Dewan.
Channing Tatum has written a number of books in his “The One and Only Sparkella” series, inspired by his daughter. (Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for ABA)
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“The first book happened really quick and easy,” Tatum told People in 2022. “I had talked about my experience with Evie at a certain point in my life, and the book just came out. I don’t think I really expected little moments I put in the book that were just me and Evie’s moments to be so resonant.”
5. Kelly Clarkson
Grammy-winning artist Kelly Clarkson published her first children’s book in 2016, “River Rose and the Magical Lullaby.”
Clarkson’s daughter, River Rose, was the inspiration for the story about a girl who has plans to go to the zoo and is filled with so much excitement the day before the trip that she can’t go to sleep.
Luckily, a lullaby by her mom is filled with magic that sends her off into a slumber filled with adventurous dreams.
A year later, Clarkson published a second book, “River Rose and the Magical Christmas.”
6. Kevin Hart
Kevin Hart’s comedy has been witnessed by large crowds while he performs standup and in movie theaters. He also entertains young readers with the release of his children’s book, “Marcus Makes a Movie.”
To date, there are two books in this series. The sequel, “Marcus Makes It Big,” was published in 2022.
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The first book is about a middle school student who dreams of making a superhero film. In the second book, Marcus must build off the success of his first movie and create another hit.
“You don’t have to be one thing. You don’t have to fall or fit into a category that has been created for you. You can create your own,” Hart told “Good Morning America” in 2022 about writing his children’s books.
Kevin Hart has written two humorous books for kids. (Arturo Holmes/Getty Images for The Children’s Place, Inc.)
“I’m big on real life,” Hart said when asked how he came up with the stories for his books. “I think art imitates real moments, real life. So, for me, it all stems from something that I’ve done, something that I can relate to.”
7. Serena Williams
Tennis pro Serena Williams used her daughter’s favorite doll as inspiration for her children’s book, “The Adventures of Qai Qai,” published in 2022.
“A little girl learns to believe in herself with the help of her doll and best friend, Qai Qai,” the book’s description says.
“We just wanted to really just put in people’s minds that we can’t forget how important it is to just use your imagination and play and also believe in yourself,” Williams told “Good Morning America” in 2022. “So there’s some really cool hidden messages in there about self-confidence and that you can do it and also just going back to the art of just being a kid.”
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8. Natalie Portman
Natalie Portman has had an extensive career in Hollywood, winning an Oscar in 2011 for her role in “Black Swan,” playing first lady Jacqueline Kennedy in the 2016 movie “Jackie” and holding a role in several Marvel films.
In addition to her successful career in Hollywood, she also penned the children’s book “Natalie Portman’s Fables,” which put a new twist on the classic stories “The Tortoise and the Hare,” “The Three Little Pigs” and “Country Mouse and City Mouse.”
The children’s book was published in 2020 and features illustrations by Janna Mattia.