‘A Magical Christmas for Paul Stewart,’ written by 9-year-old Matthew Sherman and illustrated by 16-year-old Chloe Mako, tells the story of the hockey legend’s first pair of skates
By Samantha Bambino
The Times
When 9-year-old Matthew Sherman began playing hockey at the age of 5, he was an enigma to his coach. Most of the team could be found chatting animatedly and cheering while on the bench, but not Sherman. Instead, he brought a book with him to read between shifts on the ice.
Nothing could distract him from whatever tale he had immersed himself in. Even when it was his turn to join the game, Sherman politely informed his coach he’d be ready soon. He just needed to finish that chapter first.
Four years later, nothing and everything has changed for Sherman, a fourth-grader at Lower Makefield Township’s Afton Elementary. He still loves hockey and is still an avid reader. Except now, he’s also a published author who’s on a first-name basis with a powerhouse of the NHL world.
Last month, Sherman released the children’s book A Magical Christmas for Paul Stewart, which chronicles the charming story of when the hockey legend was gifted with his first pair of skates. On the heels of the book’s first sales on Amazon, The Times caught up with Sherman and his mother Liza, who shared details on the inspiration behind the project and the key players that helped it come to fruition.
Sherman’s journey began around this time last year. While he and Liza were listening to NPR, his ears perked up as Stewart, whom he was an avid fan of, reflected on the joy felt after receiving his first pair of hockey skates, which he said took him “everywhere.”
As he listened, Sherman was riveted. A self-described book critic, he always prided himself in determining whether or not a story is interesting. He knew Stewart’s was, and told his mom how it would make a wonderful book.
“He said it sort of half joking,” Liza recalled. “But he did it. He went and he wrote it.”
At the time, Liza was aiding Stewart with the promotion of his soon-to-be-released autobiography Ya Wanna Go?, and was therefore able to secure his permission for her son’s book. Sherman had the text completed by New Year’s Day, but there was still something missing. He needed an illustrator.
Liza spent months attempting to track down an affordable artist. After inquiring on community Facebook pages and only finding illustrators who charged $2,000 per drawing, a lofty price for the self-financed mother-son team, it was suggested she contact Tony Napoli, art director at Pennsbury High School, for a recommendation. Without hesitation, he informed her that junior Chloe Mako was the best person for the job. After their first encounter with Mako, Sherman and Liza knew Napoli was right.
“She’s not like a normal 16-year-old. She’s so professional and so smart and so hardworking. You had to be a fly on the wall to watch their meetings at Starbucks. Most 16-year-olds are not that patient, especially with little kids,” Liza said. “It was both interesting and adorable to watch.”
Sherman and Mako met regularly in Yardley throughout the summer, collaborating and bouncing ideas off of each other. Many times, Mako would drive from her family’s shore house explicitly for these meetings. She wanted to make sure her drawings did the story justice, and found the answer by toning down her work to create a more juvenile series of watercolor illustrations.
Once completed, the first copy of the book was brought to Stewart, who instantly stamped it with his seal of approval.
“As a fellow author, and even more so a fellow skater, I feel that Matthew Sherman’s efforts to bring to his peers my story of my first pair of ‘magical skates’ is heartwarming,” Stewart said.
According to Liza, it’s been a thrill to watch her son unveil a softer side to the “over-the-top” man widely known as “Stewy.”
“He was an enforcer in the NHL. He was out there throwing fists. He was not the Wayne Gretzky kind of skill player at all, and he would agree,” she said. “It’s really his story to tell, but he loved it and was very moved by it. In fact, he told me a couple weeks ago he hasn’t been able to get through the book without crying. So the thought of this big, burly hockey player crying when he reads it is kind of funny.”
A portion of proceeds from book sales will be donated by Sherman to the Ed Snider Youth Hockey Foundation, as well as Ice Hockey in Harlem. Both charities teach the game of hockey to children who might not otherwise have the opportunity.
“I started playing hockey a long time ago, and I thought it would be fun and cool to have young kids getting to play hockey and getting the chance to have that excitement that I had and still get,” Sherman said, adding that he understands how expensive joining a team can be.
Stewart is overjoyed at the fact that his childhood story is helping inspire a new generation of hockey players.
“I am especially thrilled that they have allocated a portion of the proceeds to benefit other children who have yet to feel the joy of putting on a pair of skates and making their way around the ice,” he said. “To me, that is the essence of the holiday spirit — the joy of giving to others and the magic of receiving something completely unexpected that can change your life.”
As A Magical Christmas for Paul Stewart continues to draw rave reviews on Amazon, one questions remains — what will Sherman’s second book be? Currently, he’s tossing around several ideas, including a children’s fiction story about teachers who transform into monsters when no one else is around. ••
A Magical Christmas for Paul Stewart is available at Amazon.com. It can also be ordered at Barnes & Noble and most bookstores. Learn more about Matthew Sherman at Matthew-Sherman.com. Follow Chloe Mako on Instagram @ChloeMako_Art. Visit yawannago.com for more on Paul Stewart and his autobiography.
Samantha Bambino can be reached at [email protected]
