Many chil­dren suf­fer from debil­i­tat­ing anx­i­ety. Although it is impor­tant to acknowl­edge fear in order to stay safe, it is also vital to main­tain a healthy sense of bal­ance and con­trol in order to face life with com­pe­tence and con­fi­dence. In Hei­di E. Y. Stemple’s col­or­ful and enter­tain­ing new book, Zoey learns to face her many fears with style and grace.

When her aunt presents her with a super­hero cape, Zoey feels that lurk­ing dan­gers are under her con­trol. Her live­ly imag­i­na­tion helps her achieve her goals. While wear­ing her cape, Zoey feels strong and pow­er­ful, and she brave­ly charges for­ward to see what she can accom­plish. But when her cape is in the laun­dry, there­fore inac­ces­si­ble, her pet cat, Afikomen, gets stuck up a tree. Zoey has to reach into her­self to find the abil­i­ty to han­dle the prob­lem, prov­ing to her­self that courage comes from with­in and can be found when­ev­er needed.

Bright, cheer­ful illus­tra­tions show Zoey and her envi­rons in an appeal­ing com­ic-book style, which per­fect­ly aligns with the theme of super­hero­ism. Read­ers will under­stand that when they have their own fears — ones that might seem over­whelm­ing — there are ways to rise above and to prevail.

An author’s note dis­cuss­es over­com­ing fears and pro­vides some ideas that read­ers can use to help them real­ize this goal, includ­ing the con­struc­tion of their very own super­hero cape.