Matthew McConaughey Announces His First Children’s Book, ‘Just Because’

Actor Matthew McConaughey isn’t going to just do the work that other people write for him, it seems. He is going to write some things for other people, too.

In the case of McConaughey, the audience specifically is adolescents, with the 53-year-old entertainer revealing he has penned a children’s book entitled Just Because.

“I didn’t make plans to write a children’s book so much as the idea of Just Because came to me one night at 2:00 a.m. as a ditty in a dream,” McConaughey told People of the picture book.

The book takes a look at life’s little complexities through the eyes of children. It was illustrated by Renee Kurilla.

McConaughey, the father of three, said he was inspired by his own family.

“Hanging around my own children, seeing them first make sense of the world in black and white and then maturing into understanding the more subtle realities of life, I’ve seen them slowly realize the innuendos, context and poetry in people’s actions and feelings,” says McConaughey, who shares sons Livingston, 10, and Levi, 14, and daughter Vida, 13, with wife Camila Alves McConaughey.

“I believe this book will resonate with children of all ages ‘just because’ it speaks to the kid in all of us.”

This may not be his last book, either, he indicated.

“As my own kids grow up and I keep learning how they’re measuring the world around them, I think it’s inevitable that I’ll follow up with some more fun approaches to living that we can all enjoy,” he said, via People.

His book follows one by Camilla from last year, Just Try One Bite. That one is mostly for parents.

“It’s all about balance,” she told People. “If parents take the time to talk to their children about healthy eating then they will grow up to be adults with healthier habits. And having conversations about balance allows for an open dialogue between parents and children.

“… I used to hide chocolate around the house because I didn’t want my kids to see. One time, Vida and Levi saw me and I acted like I was grabbing something else but they told me, ‘We caught you! You shouldn’t be doing that!'”