Cape

by Kevin Johnson, Kitt Thomas (Illustrator)

A young child learns that even superheroes hurt too in this heartrending story about loss and love, written by debut author Kevin Johnson and illustrated by #1 New York Times bestselling illustrator Kitt Thomas.

When a child loses the person in his life that he loves more than anything, he uses his cape as protection from his grief. On the day of the funeral, he uses it to block out the pictures and stories people share, refusing to acknowledge the memories that keep bubbling up. He won't think about them. He doesn't want to.

He avoids the memories, until he no longer can.

He remembers then. Their laugh, their smile, the moment they gave him the cape. The cape transforms, becoming a source of comfort and strength as the child navigates the sadness and joy that these memories bring up.

In Cape, Kevin Johnson has crafted an achingly beautiful and honest story about processing and redefining grief after the loss of a loved one. With evocative illustrations by New York Times bestselling artist Kitt Thomas (Stacey’s Extraordinary Words), Cape is a powerful, unforgettable, and necessary story.

Genres: Picture Books, Grief, Death, Childrens, Family, Fiction, Emotion

44 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 20, 2023

About the author

Kevin is a real human who writes actual words from his overactive imagination. There are no generative, artificial computer overlords here.

Kevin is author of the critically-acclaimed, CAPE (Roaring Brook Press, 2023), SLAYER BOWL SAGA(Sack of Lit, 2025), WHO HQ: LOUIS ARMSTRONG - WHO MADE MUSIC ON THE MISSISSIPPI? (Penguin, 2026), and HOWIE HACKIT (First Second, 2027).

Kevin has been featured in the New York Times, NPR, and on Oprah Daily.

Kevin has a Bachelors in Film from Temple University. He loves music, movies, retro gaming, and reading. While he enjoys traveling and finding new inspiration for his tales, Kevin will always consider his birthplace, Philly, home.

Reviews

[Jillian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. What a touching book. I am too often asked for recommendations on picture books to share when communities, classrooms, schools, or kids are dealing with a loss of a loved one. This book is now going to be top on my recommendation list. It is beautiful in its heartbreak and love while working through sadness to get to acceptance with both the words & illustrations being full of emotion.
Paired with Always Remember (Meng & Jago) and The Rabbit Listened (Doerrfeld), Cape will create a fuller perspective of emotions and stages of grief that can support kids through loss.

[Cathey Nickell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of those times you CAN judge a book by its cover. The illustrations by Kitt Thomas are colorful and stunning. Author Kevin Johnson's lyrical prose makes my heart happy, even though the story covers a sobering topic of grief. Children will learn that they can still feel love from someone they've lost, long after they are gone. They can embrace the special memories ... and remembering is okay. I appreciate everything about this book!

[DaNae · Rating 5 out of 5]

Confession, I thought this was going to be something different. it hit hard and devastated me to tears. A lovely, if grief can be, and direct route through loss.

[Lissette Norman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a touching story about a sweet boy trying to resist the pain of loss, and the power of memories that both hurt and heal. The illustrations are gorgeous and the cover art is sure to grab children’s attention. Beautifully written, CAPE is great to share with children who are dealing with the loss of a loved one. This book would be a great addition to all libraries and I highly recommend it!

[Angela · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfection

[Denise · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love everything about this book!! It's so hard to talk about losing a loved one. This one handles it beautifully!

[Dessa Leann Faulkner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Um wtf I’m sobbing

[Amelia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I promise I'll never forget.

Author Kevin Johnson says in the author’s note “Cape is a love letter,” telling the story of an African-American boy struggling with his dad's death. At first, he tries to keep the memories away, but realizes that maybe it's better to have those memories even if they hurt. As someone dealing with the death of a family member, the colorful cover image didn’t prepare me for the heart-breaking contents of this important book that needs to be shared with the intended audience. Artist Kitt Thomas initially makes the memories balls of glowing yellow light that then get bigger and show the memories they contain, mimicking to how memories can follow you and bubble up unexpectedly, then just as easily pop or fade. Share before the funeral or memorial service, and then use to keep the dialogue open between grieving children and caregivers.

[J MaK · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very touching picture book that speaks volumes about grief.

[Michelle Boquist · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a powerful picture book dealing with loss. The boy is struggling with losing someone close to him. He wears an important cape to handle the funeral and the memories. My heart broke for this boy.

[Mimi · Rating 5 out of 5]

A touching picture book about a child dealing with his grief at the loss of his father. The illustrations aptly match the text. Ages 4 - 8.

[Margaret · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was on a New York Times list of books about grief for children. I checked several of the books out of the library. At the back of the book, you learn that the author wrote the book for his father whom he had lost ( possibly at a young age?). I would recommend this book to anyone needing to help a child experiencing grief. The illustrations go perfectly with the story.

[Bethe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely heart filled story of remembrance and love. Parents are often superheroes to their children, their capes are filled with memories. Gentle introduction to grief. Love the vibrant illustrations. Based on author’s lived experience.

[Centauri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Grief sucks. We miss and we miss some more. We don't want memories because we'd rather have the loved one we lost here with us. But this story lets us know that real strength is in not forgetting the bond and joy and fun we shared with our loved ones no longer with us.

[Kara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! Beautiful

[Vicki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sometimes we just need to wrap ourselves with love and memories of those who have passed. Lovely and colorful illustrations.

[Ashley Adams · Rating 5 out of 5]

A young boy gets a cape as a gift from his father. But, when his father dies... just how brave can he be?

[Viviane Elbee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a powerful book about loss and the feelings of grief children have when they lose a loved one. The author’s note lets us know this book is for his dad, and the loss he felt when his dad died.

[Peacegal · Rating 5 out of 5]

A child wrestles with the complicated feelings of grief for a loved one in this wonderfully illustrated, emotional and relatable book.

[Janet Squires · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cape by Kevin Johnson with illustrations by Kitt Thomas is a remarkably simple, but wonderfully thoughtful look at loss.

Johnson has crafted a moving narrative around a moment in a young boy’s life when a superhero’s cape, given to him by his father, becomes both his shield against the agony of his father’s funeral day and a shining light illuminating the real and wonderful moment’s they shared.

Johnson’s concise narrative uses minimal vocabulary, for the most part, a sentence or less per page. But his choice of language is so precise that he perfectly captures the big—almost unmanageable—emotions that overwhelm the child…until they don’t.

Thomas’ bold use of red for the cape keeps the focus on the young protagonist, even when he’s portrayed as physically overwhelmed by crowds of mourners who are set apart in morose blues and blacks. His emotional struggles set loose an explosion of colors across the spectrum until they resolve at last into the warm glow of memories.

“I remember.” Those two words sum up the heart of this honest story about losing a parent. Regardless of when that loss happens, there’s a tug-of-war that memories bring—between the pain of remembering better times and the comforting warmth found in happy recollections. That struggle and resolution is mirrored here making this an excellent read for anyone facing the death of a beloved family member or friend.

Highly recommended—a moving child-friendly introduction for a discussion of grief and loss.

[Shannon Bedore · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is another great story that details what a child may go through in the grieving process of the loss of a loved one. In this book, a young African American boy has blocked out all memories after losing an important person. At the memorial and burial, he refuses to reminisce with family members and deeply buries his feelings so that he can't remember that this person is gone. His cape serves as a sort of shield to protect him from the bittersweet memories. Eventually, the memories overcome him though, and he remembers all the great times he had with his dad before he died. After he finally lets himself feel all the emotions, he takes off his cape and drapes it on top of his aunt on the couch, who is now raising him. It reminds him of this first time he got the cape from his dad, which is a sweet memory for the child.

I would keep this book as an extra resource in my classroom for loss and grief too because I still thinks some other books may be better for a class read-aloud and discussion. I think some children would benefit from the story more because they may be struggling to confront their feelings and accept the realities of their loss too, so this book can help them open up.

[Menyojakata · Rating 5 out of 5]

"There's no rain, but my cape gets wet."

The line that made me teary-eyed

"I remember your laugh. I remember your love."

The line that broke me, made me sobbing uncontrollably

Cape menceritakan seorang anak yang ditinggal mati oleh ayahnya. Saat pemakaman, tantenya memakaikan jubah/mantel kesayangannya. Jubah ini, secara figuratif, menjadi pelindung tokoh aku dari kesedihan. Tokoh aku berpikir jika dia tidak mengingat kenangan tentang ayahnya maka dia akan terbebas dari rasa sedih. Alhasil, dalam buku ini digambarkan dia menggunakan jubah tersebut sebagai tameng dan sebagai alat untuk membuang memori itu. Namun, yang menjadi titik balik penerimaannya yaitu saat yang muncul di pikirannya adalah kenangan tentang tawa dan cinta ayahnya. Kenangan mereka bermain bersama. Dan dari kenangan itu ia menemukan jalan menuju penerimaan.

"I remember the way to my smile."

Tokoh aku yang awalnya tidak ingin mengingat apapun tentang ayahnya karena akan membuatnya sedih, berakhir mengucap janji pada dirinya bahwa dia tidak akan melupakan kenangan-kenangan itu.

[AMY · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book will bring a reader to tears. It is a difficult journey but the comfort that the boy finds and shares is inspirational. I think kids will instantly relate to this book and it will give them hope if they are going through a loss and grieving at a young age. The thought process and responses of the young boy are believable and realistic. It caused me to think of my own losses over the years and how painful it is to look at photos or items associated with a loved one. This is a well-written and beautifully illustrated book. It proves that even superheroes must deal with pain and work through all that comes with loss. Bravo and best wishes to the author and illustrator as they continue to create future books. I can't wait to see the next books you will write and the stories you will share with the world. This book is award-worthy. Highly recommended for Grades K-5 and beyond...

[Shaylie Dobbs · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is absolutely heart wrenching. I could bawl. I do think this book needs to be made available to my students. It would not make a good read aloud because it is a tough book to make it through. It is a very sensitive subject. I do think having a wide array of books dealing with situations and emotions would be a good place to start. Have children pick one book. The books will all reflect someone going through something. The students then can write about a time they felt like they were the only one dealing with something, the book they read and summarize it, while also discussing how they would help a friend in the same situation as the character in the book. This makes the perfect book for a lesson on empathy, sympathy, along with many other Social Emotional Learning vocabulary words.

[McKenzie Richardson · Rating 5 out of 5]

For more bookish thoughts, visit my blog: Craft-Cycle

A truly beautiful story, well-told. Follow the events of a funeral as seen through the eyes of a child.

The story perfectly captures the happy-sadness of remembering loved ones lost. A gorgeous reminder not to block out memories that make you sad, but to embrace them and find the joy in them.

Thomas' artwork is stunning. Each page perfectly pairs with the text, switching from shadowy grief to fanciful imagination to sunny joy. A perfect compliment to the words that really drives the emotion home.

A nice way of discussing grief with young ones and encouraging them to remember, even when it's hard.

[Calista · Rating 4 out of 5]

I went into this thinking one thing and got a whole other story that was better than what my expectations were.

Kevin wrote this when he lost his father. The book is about dealing with loss and grief! It's such a powerful book. The boy is going to his father's funeral and where's his cape over this suit to protect him. The cape was from his father. We see people dealing with grief and sadness in the story. We see pain and sorrow and crying.

It's truly a beautiful story and uplifting even with that sad subject matter. It's a powerful story. The artwork someone encapsulates all those emotions and the cape is brilliant.

It's not a fun story, but if someone has loss, it can be a powerful story. A great one about grief.

[Chrissy · Rating 4 out of 5]

**This book is being considered as a nominee for next year’s Beehive Book Award for Children in Utah. My review reflects my thoughts as it pertains to that consideration.**

There are a lot of picture books that are meant to help kids with the death of a loved one. Some are wonderful, some are... not so great. Some are more informational in their presentation, and some are like Cape - where the story shows the emotions and the ups and downs of going through that grief. This is one of the best ones and one that I will be recommending when I get asked for a book like this. It's one of the topics I get asked about a lot by library patrons, so I'm glad to have a title like this to give to someone.

[Courtney · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an absolutely heartbreaking yet hopeful story. I'm so thankful that we have books like this to give to kids who have lost a parent. It's very well done and the brightness of the artwork conveys the hopefulness that still shines through even through the darkness of our main character and his family's grief. You can still be a superhero and deal with the pain of loss (in fact, many super hero stories do!) and this is a book that will remind kids of that.

Thank you so much to Edelweiss and MacMillan Children's Publishing Group for letting me read this early in exchange for an honest review.

[Jasmine Garcia · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a children's librarian, I have known little ones who have had to deal with grief over the loss of someone they love. As adults, we even struggle through these complicated and overwhelming emotions. Cape provides a map to help little ones through their painful journey. It has beautiful illustrations and words that are heartfelt and real. We all want our little ones to come out of a trial feeling like super heroes that were able to overcome fear and pain with courage and love. I highly recommend this book for children's libraries at home, at school, and in the community. It's a great resource!

[Brittany · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book as an adult reader for the AR Diamond Book Award. This book could have been entirely wordless and it still would have been just as good. The illustrations are so powerful throughout the book. With that being said, the cover feels a bit deceiving to me. It looks like a little boy super hero story--a fun and upbeat story. A child will most certainly pick this one up to read, but I'm not sure they will like what they get. Give this one to children dealing with the loss of a parent, overwhelming grief, etc. A nice (yet very sad) read.