My Red Velvet Cape

Mateo is so excited. It's his birthday and he can't wait! Not only will there be a party later with friends but his grandmother is bringing him a very special gift: a red velvet cape. It's a cape for superheroes! Mateo imagines all the wonderful things that will happen when he wears the cape, from not needing to hold his big sister's hand on the way to the bus to being more popular at school. But is the gift really what he thinks it is? Or did Mateo misunderstand what his grandmother said?

School Library Journal

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. VERDICT Purchase where preschool books about being superheroes are in demand. Yep, everywhere.

School Library Connection

Mateo is having a superhero themed birthday party. Grandma calls to wish him well and tell him she has made “a red velvet…” but before she can finish, Mateo becomes excited, certain that Grandma is bringing him a red velvet cape. He has many plans for how to use the cape, like walking the dog and getting to the bathroom on time. Then, his big sister punctures his excitement by telling him that Grandma is actually bringing a red velvet cake. Oh, what a difference one letter in a word can make! Mateo is devastated and sulks and pouts even when Grandma arrives with a package that contains “a red velvet…” The cartoon style watercolor and ink illustrations are full of action and expression. Details include bilingual color signs and superhero posters, a unisex restroom, multiracial friends, and a hip Grandma who flies with Mateo and his friends with her own red velvet cape. The back matter includes a section which teaches readers how to make their own red velvet capes.