I really enjoyed the audiobook of Can I Touch your Hair, a sweet and touching collection of short poems for children.

The poems explore the differences and similarities between growing up black vs growing up white: family backgrounds, expectations of parents and friends, dreams, fears, awkwardness, and wanting to belong. The Charles and Irene of the poems form a sweet friendship filled with mutual respect.

This is a timely must-read (or listen) for children and parents.

Thank you to NetGalley and the authors for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

In recent years I have been making a conscious effort to mix in books that are more diverse. Now that we are trying to become parents,, I have been specifically looking at books on diversity that are aimed at children.

This one did not disappoint. While it Is meant for younger children, it is also important for older kids and adults. This book manages to cover important issues of without being condescending. It definitely opens a dialog with younger kids specifically. It follows two classmates one black and one white as they write about their daily lives, similarities, and differences. .

I do think I will purchase the physical book later. My only complaint about the audiobook is that it felt like teachers reading the story to a class. Doesn’t seem like a complaint? Yeah, it’s not. I do think it would have been a touch better if they had chosen someone young enough to sound like a child had read the letters, it would have been even more powerful then. I’d say the audiobook version is say 4.5 stars. I rounded up because as I said, personal preference.

This was an interesting take race for a younger audience and even being a young adult I absolutely loved it! The poetry was written beautifully and I love the fact that the narrators were the authors of the poetry collection.

Okay- this is the first time I have ever listened to a poetry collection on Audio and now..... I believe I’m addicted!! Maybe it’s the poets/narrators that have me so spoiled!

Love this collection of poetry about two children who meet in elementary school, see their differences and learn to notice their commonalities. During this 5th grade project- , they wrote poems about hair, things they enjoy doing, and their families. It is through this project that they learn to see other as individuals.

I also think the narration is on point. Perfect. Crisp. Clear. Both Irene Latham and Charles Writers write as their fictional selves and also narrate their poems. Perfect and one audiobook/ book I would enjoy owning! Highly recommend- and if I could give 10 stars, I sure would!

Thank you to NetGalley, Irene Latham, and Charles Waters for this temporary review copy for me to listen to and enjoy. As always, my review is voluntary and my opinions are my own.

Can I Touch Your Hair? is written using free-verse poetry to address racial differences, friendship, family, and navigating life as fifth graders. While working on a school project together, Irene Latham, who is white, and Charles Waters, who is black, discover the difference and similarities they see or perceive with their lives even though the project assigned wasn't focused on it. Each topic had the two kids' unique point of view and experience side by side. As the two children started bonding over their poetry, they realized that some of their thoughts and reactions were the same and others were different depending on their culture and upbringing.

As I listened to the audiobook, which was great, I still wanted to see the illustrations that matched up to the words. It would have solidified the poets' messages more than just hearing the words. I listened to the book twice just to be able to visualize and feel what the child was saying. This book is perfect for elementary school and beyond to start a conversation about different perspectives and experiences each person has on a similar topic.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for allowing to listen to this book for an honest review. I am so glad I did.

What a great book, Gently easing into the hard aspects of racism, difference and difficulties Experiences by all colors through a children’s eyes.

Huge thanks to #NetGalley and Learner Books for a copy of the audio ARC of this work in exchange for an honest review.

Can I Touch Your Hair by Irene Latham and Charles Waters is a collection of poems that explore the issues of identity, stereotyping, acceptance, intolerance, and friendship. The use of dual narration by Irene and Charles allows the listener follow and be emotionally involved in the journey that each is on due to their identities. What begins as partners on a project and leads to a friendship. There comes an understanding that each child's experience ha some similarities and differences in regards to they way they are seen, spoken to, treated and so on. This collection would be a great addition to any home or library.

CAN I TOUCH YOUR HAIR? is a moving, groundbreaking collection of poems that explores the differences and similarities between kids of all identities. It’s in a way a set of instructions for how children can relate to each other, a guidebook to understanding the inner workings of children’s minds, their feelings, and their fears and dreams. In the process, though, it’s also full of incredibly timely and poignant reminders for adults about not only how to relate to children but also how to relate to other adults.

This collection tackles what we know to be true: pretending to be colorblind, pretending that experiences in our world are not impacted by race or other intersections of identity, is damaging and perpetuates oppressive systems. By showcasing different points of view, CAN I TOUCH YOUR HAIR? assumes that people can love and respect each other while also respectfully celebrating all of our differences and unique perspectives and identities. This is a really beautiful set of poems, and it was a great experience getting to listen to a few poems a night before bed with my kids. I hope it’s used in schools and homes to help kids better understand each other and their own place in the world.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this advance e-copy.

I wasn’t a huge fan of these narrators. I’m still new to the world of audiobooks but I wish they her chosen younger narrators. I think I would of preferred to read this one.

Really loved this! I listened to this one via NetGalley and, while I really appreciated the narration, I would love to get my hands on a physical copy to see the beautiful illustrations. I think that this was an incredibly important children's novel. I read a lot of reviews saying they were frustrated the poems didn't go into further details, but... this is a... children's picture book. I think it was an amazing way to open up a dialogue about race and privilege for young children. This is definitely one I would pick up for the littles in my life.

*Thank you to NetGalley and Lerner Digital for an advanced audio copy.*

I was able to review the audiobook Can I touch your hair for free from Netgalley and from Lerner Audiobooks
for providing me with an advanced ARC in exchange for an honest review.
The story is clear and concise. I loved the poetry and I especially loved the formatting. This book is great to start conversations about race, life experiences, and how they are different based off of your culture and values.
The audio definitely could have been more expressive, but I like that it was read by the authors.

I read Can I Touch Your Hair in hardcover about a year ago and fell in love with it. The audiobook version is equally great. The dual voices help kids explore race in a non-threatening way with realistic scenarios. As a teacher, I would project the book for my students so they can see it's beautiful illustrations while they listen to the words read aloud by the authors.

Thank you so much to net galley for sending me. Copy of this book, I will definitely be buying a copy of the book for my first child. Well educated

A beautiful collection of poems about race and relationships between Black and White children. Written in an honest and innocent voice, this book of poems would be a lovely gift for any child around 8 to 10 years old. While I would eventually like to read it with my six year old son, I feel like it is a bit advanced for him right now. This would be a perfect addition to any child or teachers library. The audio definitely could have been more expressive, but I like that it was read by the authors.

This quick little listen (less than 30 minutes) is so incredibly powerful. The poems in this book are written in easy-to-understand language that any child could grasp, and they are such open, honest thoughts and feelings on race and belonging (and not belonging) and family heritage. They are great poems to start a conversation about race with children, which is so incredibly important, especially in today's world.

I loved the dual narration of the book. It made it much more powerful and moving to hear Charles' poems read from the mouth of a black man and Irene's poems read from the mouth of a white woman. The narration was clear and measured, and I actually listened to it on regular speed without speeding it up. My son and I actually listened together, and even he (15 years old) enjoyed this poems and had questions about many of them. I found myself pausing the book several times in order to answer a question that he had about what we'd just heard.

The pacing of the narration was great.

Honestly, I think the only thing that could have made this better would have been if it could have been narrated by ACTUAL CHILDREN.

Also, and I just have to say this here. The poem Charles wrote called "The Athlete" absolutely broke me. I had to pause and wipe tears away. I'm an educator at a Title I school where many of the students are black. That whole concept - picking black boys first for sports and dreading hearing them called on for anything academic - is so pervasive and REAL, and I hate it so much. I hate it SO MUCH. It broke my heart to hear it laid out like that.

I really loved this book, and I think that I liked it much better having listened to it rather than read it. I would have enjoyed it if I had read it, but being able to listen to it, especially in near-authentic voices, made it cut so much deeper. I recommend you listen to this book with your children, especially your young, school-aged children, and don't be afraid to talk to them about what they hear.

Beautiful look at both sides of of what takes place when looking at race. If only we could all see race through the eyes of a 5th grader. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Can I Touch Your Hair? is an accessible collection of poems, gently exploring topics touching on race, friendship, and understanding. Written by two poets, Irene Latham and Charles Waters, one white, one Black, this collection is an imagining of what it could have been like if they had been paired together for a poetry project in elementary school.

As the collection unfolds, each poet provides a poem from their unique perspective about a series of topics: family, home life, food, mistakes made, and so on. The children get to know one another through the process of writing these poems together, and a friendship blossoms.

For parents or educators looking to cultivate kindness and understanding in children growing up in a diverse world, this collection could provide a helpful jumping off point for conversations. Because of some of the topics discussed and the vocabulary used, I would think this would be most accessible to kids age 10 and up, or 4th grade and above. To really unpack all the nuance, this book would best be read together and discussed, as I’m sure it will lead to questions. These are questions we should all be asking and conversations we should be having as we raise up this next generation.

The audiobook, read by the poets, is a great accompaniment to the illustrated book. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher, Lerner Digital, for my advance listening copy in exchange for my honest review.

As one of NetGalley's first forays into the audiobook world, I picked this one based on the content, and was not disappointed at all. It's a very short, but beautiful narration of Black Lives through the eyes and thoughts of two classmates. I think this is a wonderful book for all ages, and it would be good exposure to anyone who is trying to teach their kids about race, and antiracism. Especially in our current times.

5/5 Stars

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.