Ryan and Krystal Howard are passionate about improving the lives of children. The All-Star first baseman for the Philadelphia Phillies and his wife, a literacy advocate and former second grade teacher, partnered with Scholastic, the global children’s publishing, education and media company.
“Partnering with Scholastic on our Little Rhino book series has been a wonderful experience. We have a passion for education and understand the importance of engaging children to read. In this series, we’re bringing to life the excitement of baseball and pairing it with the challenges and life lessons our children face on a daily basis. We are truly excited for the readers to go with us, on this amazing journey, as they get to know and love Little Rhino,” they said in a statement to press.
Scholastic has acquired worldwide rights to publish a new baseball-themed book series. The aforementioned first book in the Little Rhino chapter book series is aimed at readers ages 7 to 10 and will be released in Spring 2015.
“We are truly excited about publishing the Little Rhino series with Ryan and Krystle Howard. They both deeply share Scholastic’s mission to get every child to not only learn to read but to love reading,” said Debra Dorfman, VP and publisher of Scholastic. “Ryan and Krystle are role models who believe education is a priority in a child’s life, and it’s clear how dedicated they are to improving the lives of children.”
Nicknamed the “Big Piece,” Ryan was the 2006 National League MVP, the 2005 NFL Rookie of the Year and reached 250 home runs faster than any player in Major League Baseball history. Ryan helped lead the team to a World Series championship in 2008, and a repeat as NLCS champions in 2009. Krystle is a Westchester University graduate.
The lovely couple are the founders of The Ryan Howard Big Piece Foundation, which is dedicated to improving the lives of children by promoting academic and athletic development and with the goal to engage students in the essential area of literacy, leading them on a path to a brighter future.
