Can I Touch Your Hair?: Poems of Race, Mistakes, and Friendship

A decent tool to start a conversation with kids about race, diversity, microaggressions, etc. It's a cute concept, where the authors, a black man and a white woman, imagine how they might have developed a friendship if they had gone to school together as children. It says it's poetry, but don't let that scare you off, as it is free verse where sentences just seem to have random hard returns in the middle of them.

“Can I Touch Your Hair?: Poems of Race, Mistakes, and Friendship,” by Charles Waters and Irene Lanth, illustrated by Sean Qualis, provides both an engaging story through the use of poems and teaches important lessons around the difficulties that can exist when issues of racism can come between friendship. It is really cool how the interactions between the two main characters, Irene and Charles (a girl who is white and a boy who is African American), are told through their back-and-forth conversations throughout the book. I appreciated how Irene and Charles felt very real to me, and the book’s message didn’t feel “preachy” or rely on stereotypes. They have to work together on a group project, which is the basis for their show more relationship. The artwork was minimalist and didn’t detract from the important messages in the dialogue, but it didn’t really add too much, either. show less

The two authors, a white woman and a black man, write as if they were two ten-year-olds in fifth grade, reluctant partners on a poetry writing assignment. Irene and Charlie each write a poem on the same topic, and the poems are accompanied by full-page illustrations that weave it all into a whole. Through the poems, the reader sees into their two worlds, and how they begin to have insight into each other's worlds, as well. A beautiful collaborative experiment.

"Why didn't anyone ever tell me this before?" I ask.
"Because sometimes in life," Mom says,
"There are things you aren't supposed to know until it's necessary." ("Sleepover," 28)

Mixed race is not only the topic of this wonderful poetry book but the two authors and two illustrators also had different racial backgrounds.
The book is written from two different perspectives. A white girl and a black boy are partnered together on a poetry project. They are not very enthusiastic about the partnership and the poems are about topics they both have in common but show different experiences; shoes, hair, and church are some examples. Over time they discover they have things in common and become friends. The Poems become more serious and tackle issues like slavery and police violence.
The very last poem is written together by the main characters.
The authors and illustrators explain on the last pages the book’s background show more and development.
The typeface clearly shows the reader when it is Irene’s poem or Charles’. They are always placed side by side. The illustrations are made up of mixed media which is very appropriate.
A great book that can be used for classroom discussions or language projects and should be in every library.
Oral
3rd - 5th grade
R show less

This is a collection of poems that I would say is good for upper elementary level readers. It highlights the racism, prejudice, and harassment that one can endure. It also highlights the importance of race in someones life and how it is huge in ones life. It talks separately about the different experiences that people go through. I think this collection is great to explain hard topics.

This small book of poetry is big on feelings. It really reminds me of what it was like to be a young kid, meeting people who were of different backgrounds/upbringings, and feeling the loneliness and isolation that comes from being misunderstood by classmates.

This is a book I'd love to see be a part of curriculum -- middle school and high school -- especially in a poetry unit. Heck, even college, honestly. I also believe that adults will get a lot from this book too because it's poignant and addresses situations that people of all ages can identify with.

It's smart, thoughtful and emotional. My only critique is that I think it could have been longer, but if I were in middle/high school, it's a good length because the reader won't get show more bored by drawn-out poems or a drawn-out collection. The short poems in this book really say a great deal.

I was fortunate to receive the audio version of "Can I Touch Your Hair?" via Netgalley. These are my honest thoughts. show less

An incredible book of poems in two voices between two fifth grade students, one white and one black. Throughout the poems the two classmates discuss difficult issues related to race, family, belonging, etc, while sharing with readers their different persepectives and getting to know each other in a very real way.