Clark says she wants to pass the item “along to one of my kids one day”

NEED TO KNOW

• Caitlin Clark tells PEOPLE how the mirror in her childhood bedroom, which is still there today, inspired her “personal” new book
• “I think it just speaks to the way I was raised and it was just a good reminder of some of the most important things in your life,” says Clark
• The WNBA star also reveals a touching tradition her mother Anne does for her family on Christmas Eve

Caitlin Clark’s childhood bedroom in West Des Moines, Iowa hasn’t changed much since she moved about 120 miles away to play for the University of Iowa Hawkeyes, where she’d go on to become one of the biggest basketball stars in the world.

Now, the WNBA phenom is releasing a children’s book inspired by an item that remains in that room today.

“It’s a super personal thing for me,” says Clark, explaining that her debut book, EXTRAordinary! A Little EXTRA to Reach Big Dreams, released Tuesday, Nov. 3, was inspired by the mirror in her childhood bedroom. “My parents still have it up there. They still live in the same house, so a lot of it speaks to my story and the way I was raised.”

Clark’s parents, Brent and Anne, had the mirror made for the WNBA star before she was born. At the top, hand painted words say, “The difference between ordinary and extraordinary is the little EXTRA.”

On the sides of the mirror, the decorated border includes inspiring messages with corresponding illustrations: “Know Love,” “Celebrate,” “Cherish Family,” “Eat Chocolate,” “Believe and Pray,” “Smile,” “Learn Lots,” “Watch Sunsets,” “Set Goals,” “Spa Day” and “Show Courage.”

When Clark returns home to her parents, she’s “still in that bedroom” and she still looks into that mirror.

“It was a mirror I looked in every single day, and it’s just always been a great reminder,” says Clark, whose book encourages readers to believe in their ability to be extraordinary.

“If there’s a tough day, [it offers] a little extra love, or probably one of my favorite parts of the mirror is the ‘Eat Chocolate’ part,” she says, noting that her parents’ predictions she’d have a sweet tooth “turned out to be true.” She jokes, “I have the biggest sweet tooth in the world, so maybe the mirror played into that a little bit.”

She adds, “I think it just speaks to the way I was raised and it was just a good reminder of some of the most important things in your life. And a lot of that deserves extra care and that’s just how I lived growing up.”

Clark says she hopes to own the mirror for the rest of her life, and “maybe pass along to one of my kids one day,” she tells PEOPLE.

And of course, along with the mirror, Clark’s book includes her love for basketball and the journey she’s been on since pursuing greatness. “A lot of it speaks to my story and the way I was raised, and just my journey through life, but also my basketball career as well, and just doing the little extra things throughout life.”

Clark also credits her parents with her love of reading, which led to writing a book. “My mom was an English major in college, and she’s a huge book person, so I always grew up getting books as gifts.”

On Christmas Eve, the Clark family enjoys a special tradition around books. “We always had a tradition that my brothers and I would get a book on Christmas Eve that my mom and my dad picked out for us, and there was always a note in there that my mom wrote to us every single year.”

Clark often pages through those books to look at her mom’s notes, she says. “I still go back and read them, and it’s kind of cool to sit back and reflect on not just the journey of my basketball career, but life in general as a young individual growing up and certain things that you have to navigate.”

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Clark continues, “And obviously there’s hardship and hard moments, but I feel like I was always surrounded by really great people that always believed in me and pushed me to do really just the little extra things, and that’s really what this book is all about.”

This coming December, the Fever star says she may adopt her mom’s Christmas Eve tradition when gifting EXTRAordinary to her friends.

“I think I’ll probably take after my mom’s tradition a little bit too and just write a note to everybody. I feel like that’s something that’s super personal and something that even young kids will be able to keep and have as long as they grow up.”

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