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Children's Book Review: EXTRAordinary! A Little EXTRA to Reach BIG Dreams by Caitlin Clark

I received a free copy of this book from Penguin for review purposes. This post contains affiliate links.

Caitlin Clark is one of the most famous Iowans ever, a basketball legend, and now a published author! Her new picture book for kids is EXTRAordinary! A Little EXTRA to Reach BIG Dreams, which came out on Tuesday, November 3rd, 2026, and I got to check it out with my kids. My kids really enjoyed this book and I think other kids 4-9ish, especially Caitlin Clark fans, will really enjoy it. Here's my full review: 


Who wrote EXTRAordinary! A Little EXTRA to Reach BIG Dreams?

EXTRAordinary! A Little EXTRA to Reach BIG Dreams is written by two-time WNBA All-Star Caitlin Clark. Clark is from Des Moines, Iowa and played basketball for Dowling Catholic and the University of Iowa before being drafted into the the Indiana Fever as the first pick of that draft (and going on to win Rookie of the Year for the 2024 season.) 

During her time as a Hawkeye, she led her team to two NCAA championship games and distinguished herself as the all-time leading scorer in NCAA D1 Women's Basketball and broke the NCAA D1 records for 3-pointers in a season, total points in season, 3-pointers over a career, and honestly won so many awards and accolades over her basketball career that I could write the entire post about Caitlin Clark's basketball accomplishments and barely scratch the surface. 

Caitlin Clark's author signature at the bottom of her author note
She has absolutely raised the bar for skill in women's basketball, while also making basketball fandom feel more accessible to everyday fans like me. And I love that she has branched out to writing!

EXTRAordinary! A Little EXTRA to Reach BIG Dreams is illustrated by Adriana Predoi, an artist from Romania who is now based in London. Pedroi's other cute children's titles include Let's Go Fishing and Garden with Love

EXTRAordinary! A Little EXTRA to Reach BIG Dreams is published by Penguin Random House Books for Young Readers, an absolute GOAT in their industry as well. 


Inside EXTRAordinary! A Little EXTRA to Reach BIG Dreams

EXTRAordinary! A Little EXTRA to Reach BIG Dreams is a 32 page, fully illustrated picture book based on a quote Caitlin had painted on her mirror as a little girl: "The difference between ordinary and extraordinary is the little EXTRA"

And I really loved the message. While most of us will never achieve Caitlin's level of accomplishment regardless of our effort, we can all put forth some extra effort to reach our own dreams and potential, in whatever arenas our talents and interests lie. I feel like nowadays being "extra" is often considered a negative, and I love this message to my little girls that being extra is actually awesome and helps you reach your goals. 

a child points to a favorite moment in EXTRAordinary by Caitlin Clark

My preschooler loved the book and when I asked her what it was about, told me it was about "practice hard to get good at things." She said her favorite part was a picture of lots of kids doing different sports because she could pick her favorite (running!) and one of a neighborhood scene because she thought some of the people looked a bit like our family.

a page from EXTRAordinary by Caitlin Clark

My 3rd grader also said she liked it, and she really enjoyed the pictures and encouraging message. So I would definitely recommend it even for that early tween stage when kids *can* read difficult chapter books but also haven't totally outgrown enjoying picture books (especially for Caitlin Clark fans in that demographic!) 

Overall, I definitely recommend it for preschool through early elementary, and I'd say kindergartners through 3rd graders will probably enjoy it the most thoroughly. I appreciate that there was nothing political or controversial in it and I think parents and librarians can certainly buy it without concern of it running afoul of any policies or beliefs. 


Get your copy of EXTRAordinary! A Little EXTRA to Reach BIG Dreams

EXTRAordinary! A Little EXTRA to Reach BIG Dreams was officially released on Tuesday, November 3rd, 2026 and is sold at your favorite brick & mortar bookstores and online, including (affiliate link:) Amazon.

Have fun reading, and go be a little EXTRA today!

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Location: Sioux City, IA, USA

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