After a season that brought All-WNBA First Team honors and a World Cup gold medal, Caitlin Clark still describes herself as “a very ordinary person.” The Indiana Fever star discussed that contrast with PEOPLE in an interview published November 4.
The 24-year-old was speaking about EXTRAordinary! A Little EXTRA to Reach BIG Dreams, her first children’s book. Random House Books for Young Readers released it November 3, with illustrations by Adriana Predoi.
The 32-page picture book is intended for children ages 4 to 8, according to Penguin Random House. Its story emphasizes the support that comes from family, friends, teammates and neighbors, rather than concentrating solely on individual achievement.
Clark’s examples of extra effort are small and specific: another shot at practice, more attention to schoolwork or additional time with family. She wants children to recognize that the same approach can apply to ambitions beyond sports.
A Childhood Mirror Gave Clark Her Book’s Title
The idea came from a mirror in Clark’s childhood bedroom in West Des Moines, Iowa. Her parents, Brent and Anne, had it made before she was born, and it remains in their home. Across the top is the message, “The difference between ordinary and extraordinary is the little EXTRA.”
The decorated frame also carries reminders about family, courage and learning, alongside the instruction “Eat Chocolate.” Clark told the magazine that the chocolate reminder is a favorite because she has a sweet tooth. She still uses the mirror when she visits her parents.
Clark told the Associated Press she initially considered a book without rhyme before deciding verse worked better. Anne, who studied English in college, helped with the project. Her mother also gives her a book every Christmas Eve, with a personal note inside. Those gifts have progressed from childhood picture books to books about leadership and coaching.
Clark Wants Young Readers to Keep Going After Setbacks
Clark also acknowledged that effort doesn’t guarantee the outcome someone wants. She encouraged children to recover from disappointment rather than abandon their ambitions, saying her own basketball career hadn’t always been easy.
Indiana’s season ended October 1 with a 94-83 loss to the Las Vegas Aces in the deciding game of their first-round playoff series, as the WNBA game report documents. Clark told AP she was healthy and able to work on her game, unlike the previous offseason, when she was recovering from injury. A championship remains a goal.
Clark’s Foundation Gives Young Patients Books They Can Keep
Her foundation has also brought reading programs into children’s hospitals. On August 19, it launched Turning Pages, Healing Hearts at Blank Children’s Hospital in Des Moines, working with Scholastic and the hospital’s Child Life team.
Patients receive activity packs called Joy Packets. Completing the activities helps them receive tokens for a book vending machine, where they can select a title to read during their stay and take home afterward. Children attending the launch were among the first to make their selections.
Blank was the program’s third pilot hospital, following Peyton Manning Children’s Hospital in Indianapolis and University of Iowa Health Care Stead Family Children’s Hospital in Iowa City. The program also calls for a featured book and accompanying activity each quarter.