Channing Tatum Reveals Relatable Dad Moment That Inspired His Kids' Book About Lying (Exclusive)

The actor and best-selling author has released his third children's book 'The One and Only Sparkella and the Big Lie'

When it came time to tackle another subject for his next children's book, Channing Tatum, 43, once again found inspiration close to home with his daughter Everly, 10, whom she shares with ex-wife Jenna Dewan.

His new book, The One and Only Sparkella and the Big Lie, follows the best-selling author's two previous books in the Sparkella series, all illustrated by Kim Barnes.

"The first one came kind of so easy, about your anxiety and your anticipation of going on the first day of school," Tatum tells PEOPLE for this week's issue. “And for the second one, it was once you have these high expectations and it’s not going like you planned, how do you make the best out of it?"

For the third book, "we really had to figure out which direction we wanted to go," Tatum adds. "And if you have kids, you know that they're going through massive life learning lessons on a daily basis, at a rapid pace. So trying to pick one and solidify it is not the easiest of jobs.”

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Related: Channing Tatum on New Kids Book and the Real-Life Parenting Moments That Inspired It

Then Tatum learned that when kids are around 5 years old “they really start to experiment with lying and really telling these untruths to see how they make them feel,” he says. “They're starting to use them as tools in a way."

Recalling a time when Everly took a little car from school, Tatum says he could tell “it was eating her up.” At bedtime, “she calls me in. And she would always hustle me to not go to bed when I'm telling her to. I was like, 'Ev, what's going on?' She's like, 'You're just going to be so mad at me. I just can't tell you.' And I'm like, 'Evie, just tell me. I'm not going to be mad. I promise. We'll handle whatever it is. It's okay.' "

Everly finally told her dad what she had done. “And it was a big relief. She definitely had to go and return it and apologize. But that was the worst of it," says Tatum.

"I think it was a big lesson for her. It was that first one. That first big, big one that you feel like your world's going to end.”

The Big Lie follows Sparkella as she tries to be friends with the cool new kid at school, but has to learn the value of being honest when she "borrows" another friend's toy to do it. “I usually always kind of connect it to something that I went through with Evie that I can understand at least the emotional journey of it," Tatum says.

As for being a best-selling author, “I would love to go to every single English teacher that I've ever had,” he adds, laughing. “I was the last person in however many years they've been a teacher that they would have ever thought would be.”

The One and Only Sparkella and the Big Lie is available now.

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