I don’t often willingly pick up books of poetry, but I’m so glad I chose to listen to this one. This picture book of poetry is set in a 5th grade classroom where a white girl and a black boy are paired together for a poetry project. They form a friendship as they share their lives with one another through their poems. I feel that this is a must have for classrooms everywhere! After finishing the audiobook, I immediately ordered a copy of the print book. I’m looking forward to experiencing it in that format as well.

I really enjoyed this book and how each of the kids learned to see each other "as individuals" not as colors, as they learned about one another and found common ground.
What struck me as so poignant is the differences between the stories they tell on the same subject. In her stories, she is riding horseback, and playing piano and dreaming of ruby shoes. In his stories he's feeling ostracized, worried about why he cant go to his cousin's sleepover, trying to digest the Travvon Martin story and reconcile that to his life, even though it hasnt been his experience directly, because he knows that kids of his color can and are treated that way, it effects him. His stories are more complicated than hers - she takes for truth her stained glass version of Jesus, while Charles is left wondering how his middle eastern Jesus has blond hair and blue eyes. He wonders why kids who tan excessively and braid their hair in cornrows scoff at him yet try to be like him, while she is secretly rubbing off sunscreen so she can be one of the gloriously tan.
Though all these differences are quietly striking, the most important message was that by letting their guards down and getting to know one another, they found their shared love of reading and found so much common ground. I highly recommend this book, it was a 5 star for me.

The audio version of Can I Touch Your Hair? was so good that I wanted to find the hard copy and see the illustrations. I could envision using this book as a conversation starter with my middle school and high school anti racist book clubs. The authors’ narration was beautifully paced and expressive which is not always the case with author read audiobooks. I appreciated the back matter regarding how this book came to be. I highly recommend this audiobook.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Two perspectives. Two minds. Two lives. Two voices. This audio book is beautiful. I enjoyed each separate poem and really enjoyed the choice to have a man and woman read the appropriate poems. I enjoyed the idea of this book while listening and each poem, though on the surface seemed simple and easy; deep down there was so much emotion, power, thought, and mental anguish. I will listen to this book over and over again with my children as I teach them how to lead lives being anti-racists. I appreciated the full description at the end of the book how the author's came up with the idea and this was also part that I enjoyed sharing with my kids; how people come together and collaborate works in this way.

The poems themselves are powerful and the way they tell the story of a white girl and a black boy paired together for a class project both feeling like they have been grouped together with someone they have nothing in common with but then they come to realize that they actually have quite a few similarities and their friendship grows. I love it.

Can I Touch Your Hair? // by Irene Latham and Charles Waters

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

Can I Touch Your Hair by Irene Latham and Charles Waters is a children's poetry book about two children, one black and one white, that are put together in a group poetry project. Neither one of them is very excited about it but they do agree on what they believe to be neutral subjects at first and start writing their poems. As they talk about the way they perceive these subjects in their lives, they do notice their difference but eventually they also notice the similarities. Throughout the book, you see how they become closer and eventually consider each other friends. The book touches subjects, such as consent before touching, stereotypes, and mistakes, and easily explains why each is an issue but sometimes also how it can be fixed.

I would gladly use this book for children to explain the different topics it covers and to show that having a different appearance does not mean there cannot be similarities as well, that it is more important to judge someone by their character rather than their skin color and that it is good to listen to others' experiences. I listened to the audiobook and really enjoyed the dual narration done by both authors. It made it much easier to follow whose poems and experiences we were listening to. I do wish I could see the illustrations associated with the book but feel that the listening experience is very much worth it. It is probably a good length for the intended audience but it would be nice to have a longer version as well for middle school aged children.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for providing me with this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

*received audiobook for free from netgalley for honest review* Really great kids books, wouldn't mind reading this books rather than listening because im sure the art is awesome but the audio is great too.

The audiobook is read by the authors, so I trust the interpretation of the text, but I wasn't drawn in by the production of the audiobook or the individual poems.

"I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."
I was really excited to review this book, since I keep hearing about it. I think it was really well done. The two authors go back and forth sharing poems on similar topics. I thought this shift in perspectives was meaningful and powerful. This is a fabulous kids book to help address the tough topic of racial differences.
I liked that the authors read their own work. It made it more personal. I recommend either the book or audiobook in this case.

I love this beautiful book was pleased to see it in audio format on Netgalley. So worth reading in print and by audio. I recommend it for classroom use and for personal reading. Love it so much!

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 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.

"Can I touch your hair? Poems of race, mistakes, and friendships" is a beautiful book of poems that will spark discussion with your children on the subject of race. It touches on friends at school, neighborhoods, church, and sports. The author/narrators are Irene Latham and Charles Waters.

Charles is black, Irene is white. In poem form shares Can I Touch Your Hair? shares the two children’s experiences, parallel but very different. It’s a perfect story to start a conversation about race and (how it effects our interactions) with a young child.

The dual narrators read the different poems from two different perspectives showing their personal experiences with race. The overarching story as well as the individual poems are accessible for young readers and given the nature of an audiobook, listeners are able to hear the intended melody in each poem. This would be a great addition to elementary or middle school audiobook collections.