I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I want to start straight off with that.

Irene Latham and Charles Water wrote this book of poems through the voice of children learning to be friends at school. This book pushes us past our comfort zone and asks us to learn and grow and leave behind our former ideals, but it does so through the lens of childhood.

I think the book is brilliant. I would recommend it for any child, for any classroom or library. But more than anything I would recommend for adults to read it aloud with their children and to enjoy and be challenged by the conversations that come forth.

The publisher provided an ARC through Netgalley. I have voluntarily read this book for review, giving my honest personal opinions and thoughts

Would use this as a model for classroom work -- paired students and prompts -- as I really liked the premise. As for the text, I found the interactions between the children felt very adult and not realistic for the age and circumstances. Illustrations were great.

Can I Touch Your Hair? is a smart, brief book of accessible poetry aimed at kids, but a great read for any age. This book wonderfully handles some difficult issues is a very accessible manner. The illustrations beautifully accompany the poems.

Thanks to the publisher for providing me with an advanced reader's copy.

This was a really great book and shows how children can work together on projects creatively and calmly. It also shows how people have different lives. It is all about people having discussions, especially kids, collaborating and finding new ways to discuss and look at both different and similar experiences and how different people and their families experience life and all that it has to offer including situations such as hair, hobbies and family dinners. The artwork in this book accompanies the story very well and is wonderful. It is a very frank and honest book - full of views and many questions that real children may express.

This is such a great book! It is really eye-opening to how others feel when we ask them questions like this. I adore Sean Qualls and Salina Alkon's illustrations., and love how they work together.

I liked the concept of “Can I Touch Your Hair?” but I think it could have used a paragraph to tie some of the ideas together.

This is a great story of diversity. It illustrates how powerful and wonderful it can be when we take time to get to know each other. The illustrations are very engaging. I did appreciate the author spotlighting current news. I hope this would lead to healing conversations. Great book!

Have you ever had to work on a project with someone you don’t want to partner with? That is what happens to Irene and Charles in "Can I Touch Your Hair? Poems of Race Mistakes and Friendship." Irene, who is white, has a subdued personality and Charles, who is black, is boisterous and talkative. They have to create poems together, but what can they possibly have in common? It turns out, a lot. They both would like to have bright, funky shoes, but their parents prefer practical, versatile shoes. They both experience slights from others on the playground, and they both have had awkward experiences related to their hair. As they continue sharing stories they “see each other as individuals--vegans, horseback riders, readers” “Now we listen, we ask questions. We are so much more than black and white!”

Can I Touch Your Hair authentically depicts the effects of stereotyping. Irene and Charles had judged each other by their outward characteristics before realizing that they have a lot in common. The author’s note explains how the book originated. Incidentally, the authors envisioned the setting as a “fifth grade classroom in a suburban school with a 60% white and 40% minority population.” This book is a wonderful addition to a collection seeking to provide “windows and mirrors” for their students to see themselves as well as others outside of their cultural group. Highly Recommended.

This is a well-designed poetic exploration of how race creeps into everyday life in hurtful, helpful, and unanticipated
ways. The perspectives of a black boy and a white girl working on a poetry project show how we can begin to bridge differences and find commonalities. A very useful book to begin and extend conversations about race, mistakes, and friendships.

This book was both entertaining and teachable. There are a lot of lessons to be learned through the short poems and artwork throughout this book. I really enjoyed getting to know these characters and their lives and seeing how they learned new things about each other and grew in their opinions. I found that this book is good for both adults and children and in starting conversations between all of them.

This book of poetry for children is written by two authors, Irene Latham who is white and Charles Waters who is African-American. The two create a fictional setting where they attended school with one another and were assigned to be partners in a poetry-writing assignment. The poems here explore hair, families, church, shoes, and hobbies but most of all they explore race in America. Told in alternating voices, the poems show each of the authors as children and are based on real childhood experiences.

In this book, there is a feeling of safety to explore difficult subjects that the poetry itself creates. The characters are not perfect, sometimes saying the wrong thing or reacting the wrong way. Their trust in one another builds and readers can see that through their growing friendship they are learning to reach out to other children who are different from themselves too. The writing in each voice is exceptional, the two authors are clearly different but also work together to create a unified whole for readers to enjoy.

The illustrations by Alko and Qualls are wonderful, offering just the right details to support each of the poems and reflecting the emotional quality in the poem they accompany. Done in acrylic paint, colored pencil and collage, the illustrations are rich and organic, filled with dancing words and swirls.

A book that invites conversation, this one belongs in every library. Appropriate for ages 6-9.

<i>Can I Touch Your Hair?</i> is a collection of poems from two children's perspective on such matters as race, shoes, sports, friendship, reading, and family. We alternate on similar subjects between young Irene and young Charles, and often see that both sides of the story are often different, but are also often the same.

Although the book seems to be aimed at children, I believe it would be a great read for people of every age. Sharing the poems with a young child is a great way to start discussions with them about many complicated issues.

Can I Touch Your Hair is a poetry collection written by Irene Latham and Charles Waters, illustrated by Sean Qualls and Selina Alko. 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.

Can I Touch Your Hair is an honest and touching collection of poems that address so much more than race. The collaboration approach was perfect, giving the scenario and the result an authentic feel- because it was real. I think the open discussion involved in the poetry and matching illustrations does a wonderful job of highlighting some of the challenges adults and children face when they are willing to try to form understanding across lines they might not even want to acknowledge. I love that the characters each had missteps along the way, but they just kept trying to find their way and discovered that it is through communication and a willingness to listen and apologize when necessary is all that is needed to understand each other.

While the main topic here is bridging the racial divide and open up communications, I think it could be used as a great starting point for so many divides in our society. We are all the same at heart, we all need the same things, and by exploring our differences and similarities I think we all could forge friendships like the fictional classmates if we are willing to put forth the same effort with open hearts and minds. This is a poignant and important read for children and adults alike.

I picked this up because I loved Why am I Me? (Same illus duo). Loved loved loved this! Two students (seemingly opposites) discover who they are as people through writing, and create a special friendship. Keep these author duo and illustration duos coming!

An excellent book to teach young people about the difficulty and necessity of having friends from different backgrounds.

A wonderful collection of poems between two children of different races discussing their experiences. A fantastic conversation starter for discussing races relations with school aged children.

"Can I Touch Your Hair' is the result of three incredible partnerships - two authors, two illustrators, and their work together. The reflection of these partnerships in the book is multifaceted. The illustrators are a husband and wife team; the authors friends and collaborators. In the book, a black boy and white girl are paired in a poetry writing assignment for school. Both are quite hesitant and have preconceived notions about their partner. As the book plays out - one poem per page in alternating perspectives - the pair learn that they have much more in common than divides them. This is a quick but deep read that would benefit young and old alike. A timely publication that deserves a spot on every shelf.

This is the picture book that I ask each of you to seek out and read. Through poetry, trust, inquiry and understanding comes transformative thinking. The story behind this book is exemplary and I applaud this collaboration.

Oh, what a wonderful book! It's a touching story of friendship, a look back through time, and a reassurance that--if we can set aside fear and just talk to each other--we can heal hurts and unify a world torn apart by racism. I know both of these poets, and I love how they brought their real lives and real feelings and real hearts into this novel in verse. I related to many of Irene's poems, especially "Apology." And I learned from both Irene and Charles. I hope this book will be available for every kid in the United States (and beyond).

WOW! As I read this book I wished that I could afford to buy a copy for every classroom and library in my school. I wanted to share it with every parent and all of my friends. This is one of those books that has the power to change thinking, change minds, change the world. The power of poetry was well-used to tell this story of overcoming fear to find friendship in differences. These poems, told from two different perspectives, through a poetry project, allowed the partners, and the readers, to understand life in someone else's shoes. The story started with nerves, fear and maybe even dislike, but because two people were open to working together, they were able to truly learn about one another and become friends. There relationship and willingness to learn about others sparked willingness in others around them.
Can I Touch Your Hair will be a book that I use often to facilitate hard discussions, help create open minds and begin to foster the change I want to see. I can't wait to share this book with people.