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  • Can I Touch Your Hair?: Poems of Race, Mistakes, and Friendship
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Irene Latham
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Can I Touch Your Hair?: Poems of Race, Mistakes, and Friendship Kindle Edition

by Irene Latham (Author), Charles Waters (Author), Selina Alko (Illustrator), Format: Kindle Edition
4.7 out of 5 stars 204 ratings
4.3 on Goodreads
1,848 ratings

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Two poets, one white and one black, explore race and childhood in this must-have collection tailored to provoke thought and conversation.


How can Irene and Charles work together on their fifth grade poetry project? They don't know each other . . . and they're not sure they want to.


Irene Latham, who is white, and Charles Waters, who is Black, use this fictional setup to delve into different experiences of race in a relatable way, exploring such topics as hair, hobbies, and family dinners. Accompanied by artwork from acclaimed illustrators Sean Qualls and Selina Alko (of The Case for Loving: The Fight for Interracial Marriage), this remarkable collaboration invites readers of all ages to join the dialogue by putting their own words to their experiences.

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Previous slide of product details
  1. Reading age
    8 - 12 years
  2. Print length
    40 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Grade level
    3 - 6
  5. Publisher
    Carolrhoda Books ®
  6. Accessibility
    Learn more
  7. Publication date
    Jan. 1 2018
  8. Page Flip
    Not Enabled
  9. Word Wise
    Not Enabled
  10. Enhanced typesetting
    Not Enabled
  11. ISBN-13
    978-1512472134
Next slide of product details

Product description

Review

"[D]elicately demonstrate[s] the complexity of identity and the power of communication to build friendships."―starred, Publishers Weekly Published On: 2017-11-13

"It took four people to bring us Can I Touch Your Hair? and countless others to bring it to our library and bookstore shelves. It takes only one person to buy it and show it to a kid. And it takes only one to use it as the conversation starter we've needed for so long."―A Fuse #8 Production

Published On: 2018-02-21

"Qualls and Alko's layering of print newspaper clippings over paint begs readers to take a closer look. . . . [A]n excellent read-aloud or a launch pad for collaborative classroom writing."―The Horn Book Magazine

Published On: 2017-12-04

"Young readers searching for means to have difficult, emotional, and engaged discussions about race will find an enlightening resource in Irene and Charles' explorations."―Booklist

Published On: 2017-10-17

"In tantalizing free verse poems, Irene Latham and Charles Waters reimagine themselves as fifth-grade strangers, then classmates, and finally friends. Can I Touch Your Hair? is a compelling portrait of two youngsters dancing delicately through a racial minefield."―J. Patrick Lewis, former US Children's Poet Laureate

Published On: 2017-06-07

"A fresh and heartwarming take on bridging the racial divide."―Carole Boston Weatherford, author of Voice of Freedom: Fannie Lou Hamer, Spirit of the Civil Rights Movement

Published On: 2017-06-09

"A fresh approach to exploring interracial communication. . . . A brave and touching portrayal worthy of sharing in classrooms across America."―starred, Kirkus Reviews

Published On: 2017-09-21

"[A]n unusually candid book for pre-YA kids about race and difference, allowing for the possibility of the mistakes (the word is right in the subtitle) but also a hopeful outcome as Irene and Charles find enrichment in their friendship."―The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

Published On: 2018-04-18

"These poems explore diversity with refreshing honesty and complexity―and truly capture the personalities and voices of these two rising stars of poetry."―Janet Wong, author and co-creator of The Poetry Friday Anthology series

Published On: 2017-06-09

About the Author

Charles Waters is a children's poet, actor, and co-author of Charlotte Huck Honor Book Can I Touch Your Hair? Poems of Race, Mistakes, and Friendship. His novel in verse, Ѳdz(co-written with Traci Sorell) was recognized as a Charlotte Huck Honor Book and a 2024 American Indian Youth Literature Award Honor Book. His poems have appeared in various anthologies including One Minute Till Bedtime and The National Geographic Book of Animal Poetry. Charles performs his one-person show as well as conducts poetry performance and writing workshops for elementary and middle school audiences. He lives in Georgia.

Selina Alko is an award-winning children's book author and illustrator who lives in Brooklyn with her two children. Her work includes B is for Brooklyn and The Case for Loving which was a Children’s Book Council’s 2016 Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People.

Irene Latham is the author of more than a dozen current and forthcoming works of poetry, fiction, and picture books. Her work includes Charlotte Huck Honor Book and ALA Notable Children's Book Can I Touch Your Hair? Poems of Race, Mistakes, and Friendship (co-written with Charles Waters) and the Caldecott Honor Book The Cat Man of Aleppo(co-written by Karim Shamsi-Basha). In 2016 she won the ILA Lee Bennett Hopkins Promising Poet Award. Visit her at www.irenelatham.com.

Sean Qualls received a Coretta Scott King Honor award for his illustrations in Before John Was a Jazz Giant by Carole Boston Weatherford, and has published many other acclaimed books. He lives in Brooklyn, New York, with his family. Visit his website at .

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B076FBH52P
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Carolrhoda Books ®
  • Accessibility ‏ : ‎ Learn more
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ Jan. 1 2018
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 10.2 MB
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 40 pages
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1512472134
  • Page Flip ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Grade level ‏ : ‎ 3 - 6
  • Reading age ‏ : ‎ 8 - 12 years
  • 鶹 Rank: #61,355 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.7 out of 5 stars 204 ratings

About the authors

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  1. Irene Latham

    Irene Latham

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    Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

    Irene Latham lives on a lake in rural Alabama. Winner of the 2016 ILA Lee Bennett Hopkins Promising Poet Award, she is the author of hundreds of poems and nearly twenty current and forthcoming poetry, fiction and picture books from publishers including Penguin Random House, Macmillan, Lerner, Charlesbridge, Boyd Mills/Kane, Candlewick, and others. Her books have been recognized on state lists and honored by NEA, ALA, NCTE, SIBA, Bank Street College and other organizations.

    See more on the author's page
  2. Charles Waters

    Charles Waters

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    Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

    Charles Waters has co-created various books with Irene Latham including African Town, winner of the Scott O’Dell Award for Historical Fiction and Can I Touch Your Hair? Poems of Race, Mistakes and Friendship, an NCTE Charlotte Huck Honor. His book Mascot (co-written with Traci Sorell) has won multiple awards including a Jane Addams Book Award Honor and an American Indian Youth Literature Honor.

    See more on the author's page
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Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars
204 global ratings

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Top reviews from Canada

  • Sarah Mellard
    4.0 out of 5 stars Four Stars
    Reviewed in Canada on March 20, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    My son and I enjoyed it
    Helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

  • KDuBayGillis
    5.0 out of 5 stars Beautifully Framed Windows and Mirrors Into Black and White Perspectives
    Reviewed in the United States on January 16, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    Sometimes kids (and adults) need books to help us build empathy and understanding, and to see that we are more the same than we are different as people. We all want new shoes, a friend to play with on the playground, to be forgiven, to understand the world around us, to be seen for who we are on the inside. Can I Touch Your Hair? is a unique book in that it gives readers windows and mirrors on a topic from the perspective to two kids, Charles and Irene. Irene and Charles are paired together to work on a poetry project. It's clear they wouldn't have picked one another for many reasons, but the big difference they see in each other is the color of their skin. They decide on topics to write about for their project and we see the products of their work. Their shared joys, fears, worries, observations, embarrassments, rejections, and apologies. Both text and illustrations hold so much emotion and heart. Within its pages, a journey to friendship and a better appreciation for what makes us more alike than different. And it doesn't end perfectly, but with an acknowledgment that Irene and Charles aren't perfect friends but they listen and ask questions. A book that will inspire kids (and adults) from different backgrounds to do the same. Thank you to the authors, illustrators, editors and agents who brought this book to shelves. Donating a copy to our elementary school library for students to enjoy...and hopefully share with their parents. Great book for family, classroom, and community discussions.
    Report
  • Esther
    5.0 out of 5 stars Really good
    Reviewed in Spain on August 27, 2019
    Verified Purchase
    Excellent book. I received it very quickly. I am Spanish but I teach English to kids, I would use it for students who are 9 or 10.
    Report
  • anellis17
    5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent for Teachers!
    Reviewed in the United States on May 14, 2019
    Verified Purchase
    I used this book in my classroom to teach about multiple perspectives on the same topic. I used it as a starting point to engage my students in conversations about race, life experiences, and how they are different based off of your culture and values. My students loved it. I loved it. It was very well done, easy to read, and topics my 4th graders could relate to.
    Report
  • Frank Murphy
    5.0 out of 5 stars From elementary to high school to colleges - this book is a must!
    Reviewed in the United States on February 15, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    For me, this is a must Newbery winner next year! And a Caldecott! And a Coretta Scott King!!! It is a book that has so much versatility in its craft and construction and in its messages of acceptance. The illustrations are phenomenal (...but aren't they always when Selina Alko and Sean Qualls are doing their thing?) and the seesaw construction of the poems across the spreads are unforgettable. The writing, the messages, the backgrounds of the authors & artists, their back notes, on and on...there is so much to glean from and, ultimately, share with readers - teachers across primary to middle to high school to university programs in education, sociology, psychology, anthropology, gender studies, religious studies, criminal justice, Afro-American studies, writing, literature, etc......need to house and study this book (multiple copies!!!!!!!!!). Parents need this book, too. This is a perfect piece of literature and art! - Frank Murphy, 6th-grade teacher and children's book author
    Report
  • Adriann Stone
    5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful Book
    Reviewed in the United States on May 8, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    I use a lot of diverse literature in my classroom and this is one of the most beautiful depictions of poetry from two different perspectives that I’ve ever shared with my students. I love this book and my students and I had wonderful conversations as I read it to them. Great buy and addition to any classroom or home library!
    Report

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