My Red Velvet Cape

PreS-K-Mateo is a superhero super fan. So when his abuela calls to wish him a happy birthday and tells him she's made him a red velvet cape, he is over the moon. He starts imagining all the things the cape will allow him to do—including not having to hold his sister's hand as they walk to the bus and always making it to the bathroom on time. When it's time for his birthday, however, his sister insists that their abuela said she was making a red velvet cake, not cape. Fortunately, this is not the case, and the story ends with Mateo, his abuela, and his friends flying through the night sky in their red velvet capes. Sullivan's story is slight but relatable for preschoolers. Readers will feel Mateo's excitement as well as his disappointment when he thinks he's not going to get what he imagined. The watercolor-and-ink illustrations are lively and cartoonish and the inclusion of a gender-neutral restroom and school posters in both English and Spanish are a nice touch. Directions for making a red velvet cape are appended.