Stephanie Montgomery, wife of Royals pitcher Mike, has written her own children’s book
From a young age, Stephanie Montgomery fell in love with the game of baseball as she watched the Seattle Mariners play at the Kingdome. She vividly remembers her parents pulling her out of school so they could watch the team in the playoffs in 1995.
So when she and Royals pitcher Mike Montgomery had their son Max last year, Stephanie Montgomery saw an opportunity to teach him about baseball and help him find the same joy that the game brings her.
“When Max was 6 weeks old, I took him to Wrigley (Field) and I remember sitting there and it was like I was seeing the game through this six-week old baby’s eyes,” Montgomery said. “I just remember thinking, ‘If he can have half the memories that I had, which God willing he will, then we’re in a good spot.”
She started looking around for children’s books or other resources on the game of baseball — but all she found were books about the ABCs. So she decided to create her own.
Last July, a year after she came up with the idea, “Max and Ollie’s Guide to Baseball” came to fruition. The main characters of her book are Max and the family’s dog, Ollie. Max teaches Ollie the basic rules of baseball while walking around the ballpark.
The book is being sold on maxandollie.com, with proceeds going to the Montgomery’s family foundation, Monty’s Marvels, as well as Royals Charities in partnership with the Royals.
Mike Montgomery, who began his career in Kansas City, was traded back to the Royals in July last year. The family had to adjust to a new city while also being new parents. Stephanie Montgomery said she and her husband were extremely grateful to have the proper resources to make a smooth transition.
The Montgomerys wanted to focus their efforts on charities helping women and children, as well as helping the community that they’ve been a part of for just over a year.
“It’s been awesome to work with Royal Charities and some organizations in Kansas City like Operation Breakthrough and the Happy Bottoms Diaper Bank,” she said. “We love it here and we’ve been able to talk to people and spend time with people. … We’re thankful to be here for sure.”
She said that it has been difficult to balance being a working mom, especially with the added complexity of the pandemic. But it has provided her an opportunity to watch Max start to enjoy the game.
Stephanie Montgomery said Max, now 15 months, isn’t hitting a ball just yet, but he knows how to throw it. She joked that she always has to check to make sure there are no broken windows or broken TVs. The same excitement that her son is getting from the game is what she wants other kids to feel.
With stadiums closed to fans this season, Montgomery thinks the book can provide young people an opportunity to enjoy the game through reading until they can actually visit one in person.
Montgomery has written another book entitled “Life Plan? Trash Can,” but this was her first children’s book. Her vision for the book was to ensure it was colorful, upbeat and made people feel like baseball was for everyone.
She underestimated how difficult it would be to find an illustrator who shared that vision, but when she met author and illustrator John Stephen Gurney, they worked together well and everything clicked.
“We wanted every child of any age, background, anything, to be able to open this book and see themselves on the field or on the stands,” she said. “Because I think now more than ever we just need to come together.”
This story was originally published August 5, 2020 at 2:46 PM.