Katherine Schwarzenegger Says Her New Children's Book 'Kat and Brandy' Is All About 'Overcoming Your Fears' and 'Being Brave'

Katherine Schwarzenegger is all about learning by example when it comes to parenting her three children — daughters Lyla and Eloise and son Ford, whom she shares with husband Chris Pratt, which is why she's excited for her little ones to dive into her new children's book, Kat and Brandy, which comes out on Tuesday, November 4.

"I think bravery is the most important thing I hope people take away from this book — and just overcoming your fears. They can be brave, they can be strong, they can be courageous, even though we don't feel that way all the time," the New York Times best-selling author, animal advocate, mother and host of "BDA Baby" podcast, 35, exclusively tells Morning Honey about the book, which is "about a girl overcoming fear with a rescue horse, Brandy, and the healing power of animals, based on the author's childhood," per her website.

"You see that in the story — the main character not feeling she can get on the horse and she can't overcome her fear and how throughout the story, through time, patience and practice, she gets to a place where she feels she can overcome her fear and get on that horse," she continues. "I think that's true whether it's riding a bicycle or going down a big slide or climbing a tree."

The mom-of-three notes it's important to have that conversation with her little ones. "That's something my mom and grandma always talked to my sister and I about as young girls and as young women — the power of bravery, the power of courage and the power of overcoming your fear and how proud of yourself you'll feel," she states. "Yes, it's scary, but you can work through that and get to a place where you feel proud of overcoming your fears."

The podcast host has always had a "love" for writing children's books, and she wrote her first one, Maverick and Me, before she met the actor. "I was doing it before I had my own children. I grew up reading books all the time with my parents, and I've loved them. They always have a positive message in them, and so for me, when I choose to put a book out there, I hope it will be a part of people's bedtime or storytime routine. It's important for me to have a positive message out there," she says.

Schwarzenegger's last book, Good Night, Sister, which came out in 2023, "celebrated sisterhood and the joy that comes from having a sister and that connection to another person growing up," but this time around, she knew she wanted to write a book about her Brandy, her "pony growing up."

"It was important to me to put a book out there that celebrated the healing power of animals and how beneficial that bond can be in a child's life," she says. "It doesn't need to be a horse — it can be a goldfish, a rabbit, a dog or cat, etc., but I really wanted to shine a light on that and then also making sure that the story touched on overcoming fears and bravery with the main character. I know for me personally, that was always a really big theme that my mom and grandma talked to me about growing up."

While writing this story, Schwarzenegger knew she wanted touch upon bravery. "It was well though out and came from my own experience overcoming my fears with horses and always having my mom to make sure I got back on the horse and just what an incredible bond I had with my pony Brandy. It was so impactful on my life and made me who I am. I wanted to celebrate that."

Now, Schwarzenegger really "benefits" from being in the presence of animals. "We don't speak the same language necessarily, but we share the same desire to be calm, and I think animals really see you for who you are and don't care what you look like or what you do for a living or what your background is," she shares. "They see your emotions in a raw way, and they are able to connect with you on a totally different level that you don't necessarily get from people in a human interaction. Being able to grow up in the presence of animals was a huge gift for me, and even as an adult now, when I have moments of feeling stressed or anxious or feeling like I need a peaceful moment, I go outside and am with my chickens or horses. It's so important."

Now, she is hoping to pass down her wisdom about animals to her tots. "Animals come with responsiblity and discpline, and I think I learned all those things with having animals be part of my life," she states. "With horseback riding, there's a huge responsiblity to care for your animal. I was there every single day after school and had shows every weekend. I didn't have a ton of time to get into trouble when I was in high school because I had horseback riding every weekend. I loved it! It was an amazing gift to be able to have the space of going outdoors and not being on a device, not being in the drama of high school. I would just do my homework or study for tests while sitting in Brandy's stall. I would sit with her and read my books, and that was such a magical experience for me. No matter how much you talk to your kids about something, you have to show them firsthand. I try to talk to them and have my shared activities with them."

The starlet allows her kids to be in the presence of animals at the barn, but also at her mom and dad's house since they both have animals. "I see my girls naturally having a desire to be around animals, which I think is such a beautiful thing," she notes.

When Schwarzenegger reads alongside her daughters, she loves the moment when the pieces start clicking together. "They're like, 'Oh, the pony looks like mommy's pony.' My girls open the beginning and end of the book, and they're always interested in the authors of the book. So, when they see my picture at the end, they'll be like, 'You wrote this book,' which will be really sweet. It's all been fun to be able to share this book and watch your kids have these lightbulb moments," she states, adding that story time holds a special place in her heart.

"Books are a huge part of our kids' lives, and they want a story first thing when they wake up in the morning, they want to read a story at the breakfast table, they want to read a story at lunch and dinner and before bed," she continues. "It's a huge part of my life. It's a beautiful way to bond and spark conversations in a natural way."

Schwarzenegger is proud of all the work she's put into this latest tome. "I loved being able to do it and also being able to ask my children what they thought or what they liked about an image. These are such important themes to have in our lives, and I am hopeful it'll be a staple in people's story time or bedtime routine," she concludes.

Kat and Brandy is available now!