Bob Odenkirk to Release a New Children's Book Inspired by Poems He Wrote with His 2 Kids

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When actor Bob Odenkirk's daughter Erin and son Nate were little, he created a unique bedtime ritual. Rather than read a story, Bob, 60, would write poems with his kids.

"I really wanted them to be a part of it. So I would write a line, they would write a line, then we'd finish it together. Or I'd let them start the poem, and then we'd try to find a way through it," the Lucky Hank star recalls to PEOPLE.

"They're pretty silly and a lot of them are kind of crazy. But I kept them because some of them weren't just gibberish. Some of them had ideas and I thought, there's a great little book of poems in this," he adds.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Erin and Nate asked Bob about them. "He pulled out this book, and he was like, 'Let's try to actually write this and why don't you draw some drawings for it," says Erin, 22.

Their effort resulted in a new children's book, Zilot & Other Important Rhymes, which will be released this fall.

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"I wanted to keep some of the pure silliness that the kids had written," says Bob. "Otherwise, we would lose that 'wrote it with a kid' feel."

"Zilot" was actually a word that Nate used to call a blanket fort. "I think it encapsulates the spirit of kids inventing things that became the book," Erin explains.

The collection features new poems as well. "They don't read like poems that little kids wrote," Erin adds. "They read like smart poems that have a kids' sense of fun."

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Working together was a new dynamic for father and daughter.

"His faith in me was really important to the project," says Erin. "And also letting me kind of take the reins for a bit, or me seceding to him because he's had so much experience, and he has the voice for this book."

She adds, "It started as him mostly writing the poems, and it ended up being us workshopping them fully together. And I really feel like we're a good team for that."

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Both admit their relationship was only strengthened after Bob suffered a heart attack on the set of Better Call Saul in 2021.

"I'm starting to ask myself what's the best way to spend my time? And being around people I love and having a certain space in my mind to think and to relax is really raising up in my priorities," the actor says.

Adds Erin: "I think I'm a person who now cares more about appreciating everything, even if moments feel small or regular. Just appreciating them in the moment is really what matters."

As for what they hope kids will take away from the book? "Laughter and excitement," says Bob. "And then hopefully in the back of their mind, a thought of 'I'm going to write a poem today. Or draw a drawing. I think the idea of getting your four, five, six and seven-year-old to pull out a notepad and write a story or a poem is key to what we're trying to achieve here."

Zilot & Other Important Rhymes will be released in fall 2023.