Jake Gyllenhaal is celebrating the aunts and uncles of the world.
On Thursday, Feiwel and Friends and Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group announced that it will publish Gyllenhaal’s picture book The Secret Society of Aunts and Uncles on Sept. 5, 2023.
The children’s book, which the 41-year-old Ambulance star cowrote with his longtime writing partner and friend Greta Caruso, follows 10-year-old Leo, his Uncle Mo and “a secret society determined to make their relationship bloom,” a release about the upcoming book reads.
The book will also feature illustrations from Caldecott Medal-winning illustrator Dan Santat.
The Secret Society of Aunts and Uncles is “a madcap, magical adventure into the heart of what it means to have an aunt or uncle—how we learn to keep each other close and how we find love in the simplest things,”.
Gyllenhaal tells PEOPLE that he wrote this book for his nieces “and for all the nieces, nephews, uncles, and aunts out there.”
“There is no shortage of books for kids about their relationships to parents, grandparents, siblings, friends, neighborhood fire trucks, aloof cats, and loyal dogs… but what about aunts and uncles?” Gyllenhaal says.
“As a lifelong nephew and seasoned uncle, I wanted to write a book that shined a light on the singular relationship between an aunt or uncle and their niece or nephew — and the unsung (but essential!) craft of Auntistry and Uncleology,” he adds.
The Academy Award-nominated actor says that aunts and uncles “have a unique perspective” in their bonds with nieces and nephews that he finds is “less acknowledged” than that of the parent-child relationship.
“Parents can often be blinded by absolute parent love, and they make rules that sometimes get in the way of fun,” Gyllenhaal tells PEOPLE. “The kind of fun that uncles and aunts can bring, along with a safe loving place to be oneself.”
Asked about collaborating with childhood best friend Caruso on the project, Gyllenhaal reveals the concept stemmed from a conversation he and Caruso had “about the hugely positive influence our uncles and aunts had on us growing up” and cites Caruso’s aunt Nancy as a direct inspiration.
“As a new mom, I’m eager for my kid — and all kids — to remember that they should look to their aunts and uncles for a special kind of love and honesty, and what better way to do that than an adventure in the Secret Society for Aunts and Uncles?” Caruso wrote in a statement.
The Secret Society of Aunts and Uncles hits bookshelves Sept. 5, 2023.
