Exclusive: Ashley Tisdale Reveals One Thing That’s Helped Her in Life & Motherhood — & How She’s Passing That Tradition Down to Her Daughters

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Ashley Tisdale credits one thing with helping her in life, acting, and now motherhood with her two little girls with husband Christopher French — and it’s something so simple, yet so beautiful. Reading! The High School Musical alum revealed how her lifelong love of reading influenced her in an interview with SheKnows (prior to giving birth to her second child), and now she’s hoping to instill the same admiration for books in her daughters Jupiter Iris, 3, and Emerson Clover, 3 months. It’s a tradition that couldn’t be more special, and as a reader (and mom!) myself, I couldn’t be more excited to pick her brain.

Looking back at her decades-long career first as a Disney actress, then as a singer and executive producer, and now as the founder behind wellness brand Frenshe, Tisdale says good books have been with her through it all. “I enjoy novels,” Tisdale tells SheKnows, before immediately giving us her book recs (and making my book lover heart soar!).

“A friend tells me that I have to read ‘Great Circle’ by Maggie Shipstead. It’s on my list,” she explains. “I usually wind up reading more nonfiction, though. I’ve recommended Lucinda Bassett’s to so many people over the years because it gave me better tools for supporting my mental health.” She’s a mental health advocate, too? What a queen!

Books have helped Tisdale with her work, too. “Career-wise, I think reading has helped me in every stage,” she says. “When I was a kid, reading books helped me figure out what a well-rounded character could look like in an audition. And as an entrepreneur, I’m always looking for books that can help me learn from people who’ve succeeded in business while staying true to their principles.”

As a parent, she turns to books to help her be more present and empathetic with her kids. Her recent reads include “Good Inside” by Dr. Becky Kennedy, which “has a lot of ideas for helping kids develop healthy self-esteem, plus advice on navigating some of the new behaviors we’re experiencing in the preschool years.”

She also read several books with Jupiter before she became an official big sister in September, including, “Peter’s Chair” by Ezra Jack Keats, “Lola Reads to Leo” by Anna McQuinn, and “Little Miss, Big Sis” by Amy Krouse Rosenthal. “We also laugh a lot while reading the Pigeon series by Mo Willems,” she adds.

If you need a second to add all of these to your TBR, I understand! We are always down for a good book recommendation, especially from someone who really gets how impactful the right books can be. That’s part of the reason Tisdale partnered with LeapFrog’s “Everything Starts With Reading” campaign, because she loves how they make learning to read fun for the next generation through a variety of toys and educational tools tailored to different stages of a child’s reading development.

This campaign is designed to inspire and empower children as they embark on their path to reading success. According to a statement by Karen Balduf, Vice President of Marketing, VTech Electronics North America, LeapFrog’s parent company, this campaign “embodies our mission to spark a love of learning in children from an early age.”

Tisdale enjoys playing with these preschool tools with her daughter Jupiter. “I like their toys! They create educational toys that kids genuinely like to play with, and they happen to learn while they’re playing,” Tisdale tells me about partnering with LeapFrog.

She especially calls out the brand’s Learning Friends 100 Words Book “because it teaches words in English and Spanish.” “And while I’m not a ‘zero screens’ person, I do really appreciate that it’s interactive without it being a digital screen,” she continues.

“Books are a big part of Jupiter’s life. Every adult she knows reads to her — it’s part of our daily routine as a family,” Tisdale explains. “I love snuggling with her and reading a book together because it brings back memories of doing that with my mom and dad. It’s really sweet to see her reading with them, too.”

Finding the right book is one thing, but keeping your toddler engaged while reading? That’s another battle! thankfully, Tisdale has some tried-and-true tips for keeping her toddler interested. “When I’m reading out loud to her, I ask questions about the pictures and illustrations, or I’ll ask what she thinks might happen next in the story,” Tisdale says. “It’s so interesting to see what she notices and how imaginative she can be. Lately, as part of helping her develop pre-literacy skills, I’ve been pointing out letters and the sounds they make, just to start making those connections.”

“But for the most part, I want Jupiter to just enjoy books and all the places they can take you,” Tisdale says. Because if kids have that, then they can have anything!

At the end of the day, reading is a tool to engage with Jupiter and now baby Emerson. “It’s so cliche, but I didn’t realize that I could experience this kind of love,” Tisdale says about motherhood. “It’s unlike anything else. Motherhood expands your heart and shows you a love that you didn’t even imagine before. It’s made me more patient and, I hope, more understanding. I’m eternally grateful.”

Before you go, check out how these celebrity parents do — or don’t do — Santa.