Matthew McConaughey Announces First Children’s Book, Says It Came To Him “As A Ditty In A Dream”

Matthew McConaughey is one busy guy.

In addition to his role as UT’s Minister of Culture and his rumored involvement in a new Yellowstone spinoff, the father-of-three recently found time to write a children’s book. 

According to a People exclusive, McConaughey penned his debut children's picture book, Just Because, with Viking Children's Books, an imprint of Penguin Young Readers. The book, which is available for pre-order now, is described as “an irreverent collection of life lessons” filled with McConaughey’s “trademark humor and wisdom.”

And, like Dolly Parton’s latest single, it came to the Oscar-winner in a dream. 

 "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," the 53-year-old revealed to the Southern Living sister publication. 

McConaughey, whose 2020 memoir, Greenlights, topped the New York Times bestseller list, shares sons Livingston, 10, and Levi, 14, and daughter Vida, 13, with wife Camila Alves McConaughey. He said that the three of them served as inspiration for his foray into children’s books.

"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," McConaughey explained to People. "I believe this book will resonate with children of all ages 'just because' it speaks to the kid in all of us."

Just Because is slated for release on September 12, 2023. For more information, including how to preorder, visit justbecausebook.com.