Can I Touch Your Hair? Poems of Race, Mistakes, and Friendship
Illustrator
Sean Qualls
Publisher
Carolrhoda Books
Publication Year
2018
ISBN
9781512404425
Pages
39 pages
Genre
realism
Format
poetry
Item Type
Fiction
Annotation
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.
Grade Level
3-5; 6-8
Lexile Measure
NP
Diversity Topics
Racial Diversity; Multiracial; Race discrimination; skin color; different races; prejudice; marginalized group of people
Main Character
female child; male child
Race/Ethnicities
Black; White
Keywords
friendship; mistakes; hair; elementary school; fifth grade; hobbies; family dinners; microaggressions; misunderstanding; family; friends
Diversity Impact
direct
STARS Citation
Latham, Irene and Waters, Charles, "Can I Touch Your Hair? Poems of Race, Mistakes, and Friendship" (2018). Diverse Families. 2163.
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/diversefamilies/2163