a super blog about a super boy.
We were so excited to join host Shannon Penrod and Nancy Alspaugh-Jackson on Autism Live this past Wednesday, November 8th. It was an honor to share word about our books and to talk about the inspiration behind the SuperCaptainBraveMan series, our own little hero, Kyle.
You can watch the full clip below. Tell us what you think!
During the month of June, TinySuperheroes & SuperCaptainBraveMan are teaming up to encourage all kids to be BRAVE! It was a match made in heaven to discover TinySuperheroes, founded by warrior mom Robyn Rosenberger. Both of our organizations strive to empower kids battling illnesses and disabilities to feel like superheroes.
This month’s TinySuperheroes mission is I AM BRAVE, featuring the one and only Super Kyle, a.k.a. SuperCaptainBraveMan! June’s TinySuperheroes’ mission box includes an awesome character-building DIY frame activity, a cool Super Kyle trading card, SuperCaptainBraveMan stickers, and a SuperCaptainBraveMan promo for a 50% discount off books purchased on SuperCaptainBraveMan.com! Just use promo code TINYSUPERHEROES at checkout. Visit TinySuperheroes.com/Mission to find out how you can sponsor a mission and cape for a special child. 👦🏻👧🏼⚡️💥
It’s April 2nd — the day the world lights up in blue to spread awareness about autism spectrum disorder. In honor of this important day, we’re so excited to announce the launch of our second book in the SuperCaptainBraveMan series, A Spectrum of Love!
Together, Victor Lodevico and I respectively illustrated and wrote this SuperCaptainBraveMan book to help young kids learn about autism in a simple, colorful way. We know autism is not an easy condition to explain to adults, let alone kids, so we took some inspiration from the parallels of ‘being on the spectrum’ by using a rainbow metaphor and color theory to show different kids with different talents and interests on different shades of the spectrum.
We hope this story touches many families all over the world. Click on over to watch our introduction video on YouTube, visit SuperCaptainBraveMan.com, Amazon, iBooks, Kobo Books or Smashwords to buy the hardcover or ebook, and help spread the word!
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September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. Read this powerful testimonial written by the parents of brave cancer warrior Coben Swanson, an 8yr old boy struggling with T-cell ALL leukemia & double craniectomy.
The original testimonial was written by TeamCoben. I am reposting it here with permission.
While Coben has been through so many obstacles, he still has a very hard time accepting that other#children are #sick like him. As #adults I think we want to find others in a similar situation as ours for a sense of #comradery maybe it’s just to know that we’re not alone… ultimately we just want someone to #understand.
But with kids it’s different. Coben and most the kids we meet, keep to themselves, and don’t seem to find the same comfort as adults do in finding someone in like circumstances.
But here is a book created by #parents and their son’s daily #caretaker helping us as parents to open segways with our kids, both #healthy and sick, to grasp an understanding of what it’s like to be different. I asked Coben, “what did he think about other children he had seen in wheelchairs before he had one of his own?” Very sweetly and innocent he said “I thought maybe their legs were broken”
Kids are so matter of fact, so I think it’s important to use family time as an #opportunity to educate them on these topics.
Not long ago Coben had a VERY long day in chemo and wanted ice cream on the way home. Of course I stopped, unloaded his wheelchair, put on his mask, sought out a ramp and worked our way into the shop. Outside sat a family of 5, a set of parents and kids ranging from maybe 5-10… the middle child asks “what’s wrong with him, why is he like that?” (In my mind I responded “you mean what’s right with him?”) But I of course simply said “well, he has cancer” to which the youngest child immediately asks “Is he gonna die?” Something in me didn’t feel comfortable offering a definite “NO” since #truth is no one really knows… there are treatments, not cures. But I realized that I was the only one panicking over that question, Coben didn’t seem to think anything of it.
He has been so educated on his situation that he has a mature grasp on the question of his own mortality.
So again we are reminded, there is so much we can learn from our kids. Take this #September for#ChildhoodCancerAwarenessMonth as an opportunity to discuss these topics with your children.
They won’t learn compassion and understanding out in the world, so why not use the time at home to learn it as a family? Put your child in the situation… “if you became I’ll tomorrow… if you were confined to a wheel chair… if you couldn’t visit with friends : how would you feel?”
I strongly encourage you to check out Super Captain Brave Man, whether or not the kids walk away with lessons, you certainly will!
#TeamCoben #gogold #bethechange#settheexample #familylife #bestlifeever #read#teach #educate #compassionproject #feels#cancersucks #kidswithcancer#childhoodcancerawareness
Today was a very special day! Kyle ‘SuperCaptainBraveMan’ Norman received a special package in the mail from TinySuperheroes!
When we opened it up, we found a ‘Welcome to the Squad’ box inside!
The Squad Box contained a bracelet, sticker, squad postcards and best of all, a personalized cape!
We’re so proud that Kyle ‘SuperCaptainBraveMan’ Norman now has an official TinySuperheroes cape and is part of an elite squad of special kids. These kids are Fighters. Survivors. Can-Doers. Never-Say-Noers. It is such an honor for Kyle to be one of the chosen few!
Watch the unboxing video here.
About TinySuperheroes
Tiny Superheroes mission is to empower all TinySuperheroes everywhere one cape at a time. Robyn Rosenberger is the founder of TinySuperheroes. In August 2012, her nephew was celebrating his 2nd birthday and so she made him a superhero cape. She then went on to make more capes for other kids (and dogs) in her life.
During that time, Robin had been following a blog about a sweet girl named Brenna who was born with a very rare and severe skin disorder called Harlequin Ichthyhosis. She was born just 2 months after her son, and so Robin became invested in her journey, reading her blog daily. One day, Robin decided to contact Brenna’s family to send her and her brother capes in January 2013. At that moment, TinySuperheroes was born.
A small hobby of making capes turned into a movement in just months. In its first year, with the help of supporters all over the world, Tiny Superheroes was able to send over 4,000 capes to extraordinary kids in all 50 states and 16 countries. Children with cancer, congenital heart defects, Epilepsy, undiagnosed syndromes, rare diseases, Autism, and all sorts of other TinySuperhero powers have revealed their true identities through their capes.
To learn more about Tiny Superheroes, to order a cape or to nominate a child for a cape, please visit http://www.tinysuperheroes.com/
We’re so excited to announce that The Adventures of SuperCaptainBraveMan, Book 1: A Day at the Park, just received a Gold Award from the Mom’s Choice Awards®!
The Mom’s Choice Awards® (MCA) judging panel bestows the gold award to items it deems as among the best in family-friendly media, products and services. The MCA evaluation process uses a propriety methodology in which entries are scored on a number of elements including production quality, design, educational value, entertainment value, originality and appeal.
“We are thrilled to be honored with a Gold Mom’s Choice Award,” says Jennifer Norman, the book’s co-author. “The MCA Honoring Excellence Seal of Approval gives credence to our effort to touch people’s lives with lessons of friendship, courage, compassion and inclusion through the SuperCaptainBraveMan character.”
To be considered for an award, each entrant submits five (5) identical samples for testing. Entries are matched to evaluators in the MCA database. Evaluators are bound by a strict code of ethics not only to ensure objectivity, but also to ensure that the evaluation is free from manufacturer influence. The five evaluations are submitted to the MCA Executive Committee for final review and approval.
“Our aim is to introduce families and educators to best-in-class products and services,” explains Dawn Matheson, Executive Director of the Mom’s Choice Awards. “We have a passion to help families grow emotionally, physically and spiritually. Parents and educators know that products and services bearing our seal of approval are high-quality and also a great value. The MCA evaluation program is designed to incorporate the expertise of scientists, physicians and other specialists; but we also engage parents, children, educators, and caregivers because they are experts in knowing what is best for their families.”
With the evaluation now complete, the testing samples of The Adventures of SuperCaptainBraveMan, Book 1: A Day at the Park will be donated to schools, libraries, hospitals and nonprofit organizations.
Here’s a video we put together so you could get to know Victor Lodevico, the artist behind the SuperCaptainBraveMan series.
Not only is Victor an amazing illustrator, he also happens to be Kyle Norman’s nurse in real life.
You’ll see the love and commitment Victor has for Kyle, which has helped fuel the magic of his artwork.
We’re so thankful for Victor, and we hope you enjoy his SuperCaptainBraveman illustrations as much as we do!
