Channing Tatum penned his children’s book to help his daughter be less “self-conscious” about the things that make her “unique”.
The 41-year-old actor has revealed he wrote his new book, ‘The One and Only Sparkella’, was written after his seven-year-old daughter Everly – whom he has with his ex-wife Jenna Dewan – refused to wear her favourite clothes to school because she thought the other kids would make fun of her.
He explained: "It wasn't like I had this giant idea that I wanted to write a kids' book. It was just something that I noticed in my daughter, watching her for the very first time become self-conscious.
“She would wear a cape that, when you held your arms out, you [looked like] a slice of watermelon. And it was one of her favourites. But she didn't want to wear it to school, and when I asked her why, she said, 'I don't want to get made fun of.' So I wanted to make this little story about this girl who is very unique and really likes to shine."
The book – which was released on Tuesday (04.05.21) – tells the story about a father and daughter, and was inspired by Channing’s own relationship with Everly.
He added: "A lot [in the book] is stuff that Evie and I do. Like I do call her 'Glitter Poop’. I was really nervous when I became a single dad, and having to raise a little girl, not being able to have the resource of a woman there to be able to lean into how to relate to her as she grows up. I literally went to YouTube and learned how to braid hair."
And the ‘Magic Mike’ star would encourage other single dads to bond with their daughters by “going into her world”.
He told People magazine: "[What I discovered] was just to go into her world and connect with her in any way. If it's wearing a tutu or painting your nails or wearing makeup — who cares? It just worked for me. I see dads sometimes, and … being a parent is hard. I wanted the book to be a little bit of a letter to them. Just play — you'll be rewarded with love."
