Book Nook: Corona Superhero Kids

 Occupational therapist practitioners Anna Astrova and Diana Gosteva, both alumni of Touro College School of Health Sciences, spend their days finding solutions to everyday issues to help people live their best lives. The twosome recently partnered to author their book, “Corona Superhero Kids" in hopes of enhancing the overall quality of life for children everywhere as they adapt to the new "normal" prompted by this pandemic.  

"As parents, family members, and professionals would contact us seeking advice on how to handle talking about the coronavirus with children, it was evident that we needed to create something special that would educate, motivate, and empower kids amidst the crisis. We hope this book will serve as a go-to tool to keep children safe while returning to school and ensuring they understand the importance of following health precautions that have truly changed the way they live and interact but could end up saving lives,” said Astrova and Gosteva. 

Learn more in this interview.

1.       Why did you decide to write this book? 

As occupational therapist practitioners, we feel that it’s our responsibility to educate and empower parents and children alike. Created for children ranging in age from one to eight-years-old, we wrote our book, Corona Superhero Kids to enhance the overall quality of life for kids worldwide as they adapt to the new “normal” prompted by this pandemic. Parents, family members, and professionals kept contacting us for advice on how to handle talking about the coronavirus with children, so it was evident that we needed to create something that would serve as a go-to tool to keep kids safe while doing things like returning to school. We also want to ensure that everyone walks away from reading this book with a firm understanding of how important it is to follow health precautions that have truly changed the way we now live and interact. 

 

2.       What makes this book unique, from an occupational therapists' perspective? 

Our book is unique for a few reasons. First, it is an educational resource to utilize during this unprecedented time. Secondly, because we’re occupational therapists, we’re extremely passionate about finding solutions to everyday issues and this book is a resource that does just that. With the knowledge we’ve gained related to child development and occupational therapy through attending Touro College School of Health Sciences, we knew it was vital to write this book to ensure parents could help their children think of themselves as superheroes and reduce the possibility of being afraid when dealing with new situations. 

 

3.       Why can it be helpful for kids to picture themselves as superheroes? 

We recognize that children tend to mimic their favorite superheroes, so they’re more likely to understand the importance of social distancing, wearing masks, and constantly washing their hands after seeing their role models do so. Additionally, we created an Instagram challenge that enables children to inspire one another by sharing their favorite superhero from the book. The challenge also provides a platform for parents to share videos of their kids acting as superheroes for the day, which has created a discussion board and a growing community for parents to engage in.