Horn Book (Tue Apr 01 00:00:00 CST 1997)

An African-American girl and her brother are attacked by a gang, who spray paint her face white and give her brother a black eye. Devastated, Helene-Angel refuses to leave the apartment. Her grandmother, who witnessed such treatment in the South, understands but tells her that she must go back into the world. The writing is clean, but the illustrations--cels from the Carnegie Medal-winning video--are less powerful in book form.

Kirkus Reviews (Thu Apr 28 00:00:00 CDT 2022)

Shange (for adults, For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Enuf, 1977, etc.) based the Carnegie Medalwinning video—here turned with startling success into a cutting picture book with the cels as illustrations—on a series of true incidents. Helene-Angel's day in a mixed-race elementary school proceeds typically until she's walking home behind her brother, Mauricio, so I wouldn't be mistaken for his girl, you know.'' The Hawks, a white gang, knock Mauricio aside and spray-paint Helene-Angel's face white. At home, Grandma cleans her up and allows her sanctuary in her room, whispering comforting words through a closed door as the incident is publicized outside Helene-Angel's window. After a week, Grandma insists that she open the doorand be strong.'' Believing herself an embarrassment, Helene-Angel opens the door to find her whole class there, smiling and pledging support before they sweep her onto the street and off to school. Seeing Mauricio hanging back like a dog with his tail between his legs,'' Helene-Angel grabs his hand:You know, we've got a right to be here, too''—a somewhat formal assertion, given the raw emotion that has informed the rest of the book. The book's a shocker, and it means to be. Young readers will be demolished by what happens to Helene-Angel, and reassured by the reactions and behavior of her grandmother and classmates. (Picture book. 7-10)"

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

An African American girl and her brother are the victims of a disturbing racial attack in this ripped-from-the-headlines picture book. Helene-Angel and her older brother, Mauricio, are taunted and assaulted by a gang of white thugs. The assailants beat up Mauricio and coat Helene-Angel's face with stinging white paint, claiming to teach her """"how to be white."""" The pair hide indoors from reporters and stay home from school for days; not until Helene-Angel's classmates come to visit in a show of solidarity and support are she and Mauricio able to return to their routine. Readers will likely share playwright Shange's anger and sorrow at this event, based on similar attacks in large cities over the past few years. Her characters speak in tones of shock and pain that clearly convey the seriousness of the issues here. The illustrations are reproductions of animation cels from a videotape version of the story. The rounded shapes and somewhat oversimplified lines of the characters' bodies stand out against handsomely mottled backgrounds, providing dramatic contrast. This honest look at a racial incident may aid children in discussing their own fears as well as possible solutions. Ages 7-10. (Oct.) Fiction

School Library Journal

PreS-Gr 2--Helene-Angel has to wait for her older brother Mauricio to walk her home from school. Neither of them like this arrangement. One day the Hawks, a gang of white thugs, beat up Mauricio and spray white paint on Helene-Angel's face. "I was dripping white. Really itchy, stinging white paint covered me wherever my brown skin used to be." Her grandmother's comforting words are not enough to help the girl handle her fear and humiliation. She closes herself away from her family and friends for a week. When her classmates come to the house to escort her back to school, Helene-Angel realizes that others care about her pain. Adults could use this story for a lesson in tolerance, resolving unanswered questions, and preparing young children for some of life's cruel realities. The large colorful gouache illustrations with bold black outlines and deep red borders have been done by an animation producer. Some facial expressions convey strong emotions while others are simple lines, characteristic of cartoon art. The full-length award-winning video is probably the better medium for this story, but the book will be available to a wider audience.--Marie Wright, University Library, Indianapolis, IN