Cape
Author: Kevin Johnson
Published June 20, 2023
Page Count: 40
In the book, the little boy (who is not named) tries to protect himself from grief by wearing his special cape. It helps him keep memories away so he doesn’t have to be sad when thinking about who he lost. The little boy’s aunt is in the book and the reader could interpret the story as the boy’s father or uncle has passed away. The author wrote the book in honor of his deceased father, so it would make sense that the boy in the story’s aunt lost her brother. The boy’s mother is not mentioned or referenced.
Reading Audience:
Amazon suggests 4 - 8 years old. I agree with these ages and if you read it to a younger child some of the more abstract and artistic thoughts might be hard to understand or lost.
Stuff to be aware of
This is a book on loss and grief. The little boy in the book loses someone close to him and can be seen at a cemetery and a funeral. The story is mainly about struggling with how even our happy memories make us sad when we lose someone.
Overall:
Like most books dealing with death and loss, this is a great starting point. This book should be read with the expectation that whoever you are reading it to will ask questions. The discussions the book starts with your child are more important than the book itself.
With that said, this book does a good job of expressing hard issues in a way children can understand. It specifically does well exploring how even though we are sad, memories of the person we lost can be happy. Sometimes these two feelings co-exist and that is okay. The little boy in the story struggles with not wanting to remember anything - good, sad, bad, nothing. The author does well leading the boy (and the reader) into understanding that all the things we feel after the death of a loved one are real and okay.
There is some ambiguity in the story. This is likely to allow the reader to insert whomever they need in the spot of the person who has died. The boy’s parents are never specifically mentioned.
This would be a good resource for helping a young child process their feelings after someone they love dies.
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