Review of “The Vampire's Missing Cape” by Steve Stables

Score: 94+/100 (9.4+ out of 10)

Wow! We did not expect to enjoy a children's vampire-themed book this much!

The thing is, this book is not just a children's vampire-themed book. It's a book for everyone who has lost or misplaced their favorite thing. That's every child who has lost a favorite toy or blanket. That's every adult who has lost their wedding ring or favorite pair of pants (you know who you are...)

There's something very relatable to that.

With that said, The Vampire's Missing Cape is a surprisingly pleasant and entertaining book that follows the titular vampire as he loses his favorite cape after a night of partying too hard. Yeah, that sounds familiar too! We've all been there and done that.

Well, we soon learn that the cape was more than just a cosmetic piece of clothing to the vampire (ok, it's that too), but it has tremendous sentimental value to him and also completes his persona. It's strange how much this makes sense. We get numerous examples of what a Dracula-like vampire is like without his cape. He's just an overdressed guy with long teeth.

It would be like a bat without wings, a kangaroo without a pouch, a fish out of water. The vampire feels naked without his cape, and it's a feeling familiar to all of us. At the same time, it's also hilarious and silly. Kids will love pointing to the pages and laughing at the vampire's hilarious thought process. The vampire is, indeed, an overthinker. His self-conscious nature will get a lot of laughs out of children and adults alike.

And don't worry, despite this being a vampire book, it's still perfect for kids. There isn't any drinking, violence, or bloodshed, although the vampire does briefly worry about how/where he will get his food now that he doesn't look or feel like a vampire. At most, there's a brief instance of peril, but it's mostly lighthearted.

Another thing we appreciated was the art. The art is actually not bad! Some of it is even quite impressive. For example, the illustrator accomplishes an impressive 3D effect with the bat coming out of the page, although this illustration gets reused later in the book. Also, the vampire's body language and facial expressions are captured very well. You can really tell how he feels by the way he moves and reacts to things. If there's anything that's weak about the illustrations, it's the illustrations of the children, who aren't nearly as detailed as the vampire.

Oh, yeah, the writing in this book is also solid for a children's book! We loved the rhymes and overall flow of this book.

All in all, we really, really enjoyed and appreciated this book for what it was.

Check it out on Amazon!