Ashley Graham Teaches Self-Love to Her Sons with Affirmations: 'We Have Them Say Things Out Loud' (Exclusive)

The model's new book, "A Kids Book About Beauty," hits shelves on Tuesday, June 4

Growing up in Lincoln, Nebraska in the 1980s and '90s, Ashley Graham says she never quite felt like she fit in — and she certainly didn't feel a connection with any characters in film, television or books.

"[When I grew up], it was not an era of any sort of social media and no one on television looked like me, so I had to figure it out all on my own," Graham, 36, tells PEOPLE. "My mom was the only one who had thick thighs like me and a large butt like mine, or large breasts like mine, or was as tall as I was and was as loud as I was."

It was Graham's mom, she says, who taught her about acceptance and self-love.

"Beauty really starts from what you hear from the people who are raising you. I always give a huge testament to my mother for never speaking negatively about herself in front of me and my sisters."

Now a highly successful supermodel and television host, Graham's advocacy for self-love and body positivity has expanded with a new book geared toward kids: A Kids Book About Beauty, out Tuesday, June 4.

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Graham, who shares three sons, Isaac, 4, and 2-year-old twins Malachi and Roman, with husband Justin Ervin, says she would have written the kids book even if she weren't a mom.

"Whether I had kids or not, this would have been a project I said, 'yes' to," Graham says of her debut children's book.

The book offers a meaningful message for all ages: that no matter your height, weight or body shape, you are worthy, brilliant and beautiful.

"I think about the kids who are adopted, or who don't look like their parents…how do you instill [self-love] in your kids? It's through words and the power of your language," she says.

The brightly-covered, 34-page book offers to-the-point affirmations — "I am bold. I am beautiful. I am brilliant." — words that resonated with Graham as a young girl.

Perhaps it's no surprise that the book is dedicated to "a 9-year-old girl I once knew from Nebraska named Ashley."

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The affirmations, Graham says, will resonate with kids and parents alike.

"Our boys are 4, 2, and 2. They’re these fearless little dinosaurs that really don't know what life is at all [but] we do have them say things out loud, like 'I am healed, and I am strong, and I am smart and kind,' " she says.

She continues: "I think parents are going to get a lot out of [the book.] They’ll be reading and questioning, 'Do I talk this nice to myself?' Kids follow exactly what their parents do. You have to be conscious, you have to be self-aware of how you speak about yourself."

Graham acknowledges that fully loving oneself, all the time, is often easier said than done.

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Even as a supermodel, she says she struggles with positivity at times.

"There’s no amount of confidence that you can have, where you won't still go through things in your life," she tells PEOPLE. "It might be a job interview, and a moment of self-doubt — you think, are you worthy of that job? Or maybe you're dating or buying a home ... There are moments where I still talk out loud and say, 'You deserve this, you know what you're doing.' There's nothing weird or hokey about that."

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As a busy working parent herself, Graham says, "It's a daily juggle, being a mom."

"The daily madness of being a working mom, having a husband who also travels… There’s no such thing as balance. We’re trying to take each day at a time," she says.

Still, when she tucks her kids into bed at night, she always makes it a point to engage in storytime. And lately, it's with her own book.

"I have read it to them. They love story time at night," Graham says of her boys. "They’re like 'Where’s the pictures?' I'll point to the page and tell them, 'Just imagine your face, right here.'"

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