A book of poems that discuss race, mistakes, and friendship. Keep reading to see how poetry can shine a light on the different experiences of race in a relatable way.
What is this story about?
This book starts out with two students: a white girl named Irene and a black boy named Charles. Both students are in the same class and are tasked with working together on their poetry project. As Irene and Charles begin writing, they share their experiences growing up with different skin tones. They soon realize that they share some of the same experiences and interests, even though they do not share the same skin color.
Meet the Authors:
Irene Latham & Charles Waters
Irene and Charles began writing this book after hardly knowing one another. They corresponded over email, sharing their personal experiences growing up to create this book. Irene is an award-winning author winning the 2016 ILA Lee Bennett Hopkins Promising Poet Award, Charlotte Huck Honor book award, and a Kirkus Best Book of 2018. Some of her well known work includes: Leaving Gee's Bend, Don't Feed the Boy, Dear Wandering Wildebeest, When the Sun Shines on Antarctica, and Fresh Delicious. Visit her website: https://www.irenelatham.com/news.html, to find out more about her. Charles is a former Walt Disney World actor, a member of the Society of Children's Books Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI), and author of Dictionary for a Better World. His work has been featured in many books such as: Amazing Places, The National Geographic Book of Animal Poetry, The Arrow Finds Its Mark, and One Minute Till Bedtime. Visit his website: https://www.charleswaterspoetry.com/, to find out more about him.
Meet the Illustrators:
Sean Qualls & Selina Alko
Sean and Selina are both children's book illustrators having collaborated on books such as: The Case for Loving and Two Friends. Sean is an award-winning illustrator having won the Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor Award for Before John Was a Jazz Giant. He is also the illustrator of Emmanuel's Dream. Visit his website: https://www.seanqualls.com/ to learn more about his work. Selina is the author and illustrator of more than twelve children's books including: Daddy Christmas & Hanukkah Mama and B Is for Brooklyn. Visit her website: https://www.selinaalko.com/ to learn more about her work. Together they live in Brooklyn, New York with their two children.
My Critique/Review:
While reading this book, I couldn't help thinking about my experiences and connections about the topics discussed in the book. This book did a great job of depicting two perspectives on the same topic, showing how peoples' experiences are similar and different. One thing I loved about this book were the illustrations. They were so fun, colorful, and descriptive of the poems that they went along with. This book meets my expectations of a good children's book because it is relatable, interesting, visually appealing, and incorporates multiple perspectives, making the reader think critically.
Thoughts:
This book primarily takes place in a school setting as two students create poetry about their experiences. As the characters discuss their experiences, the poetry moves into settings like the beach, home, and the outdoors. The change in settings also helps to connect contemporary events. Two events that stand out to me from the book are the poems: Officer Brassard and The N-Bomb. The 'Officer Brassard' poem touches on the topic of police brutality that we see all too often in the news. The illustration shows Charles in front of the TV with the words "not guilty" shown as the police officers receive their verdict. Furthermore, 'The N-Bomb' shows an image of Charles standing in front of the radio listening to music. In today's society, almost every rap song has the 'N word' in it. I think people don't realize the connotation of the word as people walk around and jokingly call each other it as well. So, I think Charles Waters made sure to put this poem in to get the message across to readers that this word isn't okay, no matter how you spell it or phrase it. Not only does this book show the differences in students' experiences relating to race, but it also highlights the similarities as well. On page 26 and 27, we see the two poems titled: Punishment (Latham et al., 2018). Here, readers can see the characters experiences dealing with being disrespectful at home. Both characters had the same experiences, receiving similar reactions from their parents. This topic is a very relatable one for most students, so I really like how the authors chose to depict this.
When thinking about this book as a counter narrative text, I think this book provides a segue into these critical conversations. By depicting the characters' experiences with racism, students can critically examine these images and words to find these areas of stereotypes and discrimination. For instance, one poem that could start a big discussion is the poem: Why Aunt Sarah Doesn't Go Downtown After Dark. This is a short poem that depicts the biases of our society. It associates words and sends the message to readers that 'for white people, it is not safe outside after dark'. It further depicts to readers that only white people can be afraid because nothing bad will happen to you if you are Black, Latino, Asian, etc. So, I think this poem in particular would be a great discussion starter in the classroom. Furthermore, going along with this topic, the poem, Sleepover, helps to disrupt this stereotype. This poem shows Charles' family, who is a black family, telling him that it is not safe for him to go to his friends' house because it is a "rough neighborhood" (Latham et al., 2018, pg. 28). This proves to readers that this stereotype that fear only belongs to white people at night or in sketchy neighbors, is inaccurate.
When thinking about the illustrations of this book, I think they really stand out and make the book more real. The illustrations are made out of acrylic paint, colored pencil, and collage. One quote the illustrators mentioned that really stood out to me was: "Mixing together materials mirrors our philosophy of mixing together our cultures. Our children are a mix of both of us" (Latham et al., 2018, pg. 39). Not only does this represent them, but I think it fits into the theme and plot of this book. In the book, each page is either Irene or Charles' perspectives on their experiences until the reader gets to the last page. On the last page, the authors mix Irene and Charles' experiences and thoughts to create a poem that represents them both.
After learning more about the authors and illustrators, I realized that this book is 'own voice' not only for the authors, but the illustrators as well. At the end of the book, the authors explain that the poems are a depiction of their own experiences growing up and how they thought of race. Furthermore, the illustrators tapped into their own childhood experiences as well through their images. I really liked how the characters in this book, Irene and Charles, were representations of the real life authors. The neat thing about this book is how the words, illustrations, and poems all work together on the page to create a real life experience. The experiences represented in this book are wide enough for all readers to see themselves, making this book so reflective of society.
This illustration represents the mixing of Irene and Charles' experiences and perspectives to create a combined piece of writing.
This page spread represents and disrupts a common stereotype seen in society.
This page spread represents the similarities between the characters' experiences.
I really liked this illustration and how it depicts the characters as "Martians". (pg. 32-33)
Making Connections:
When thinking about this book and other books we have read, I think it relates to the book: "Separate Is Never Equal". In Separate Is Never Equal, it discusses the idea of segregation and racism in America dealing with schools. Sylvia and her family fight for the desegregation of schools and the better treatment of people of Latino descent. In this book, racism is discussed as the characters describe their experiences growing up and understanding race. These poems tie in stereotypes and racist biases that society holds, as well as, works to counteract these viewpoints.
When thinking about how to use this book in the classroom, I would first read this book to students. Then, I would have students write a poem about their experiences growing up dealing with a certain topic. The article by Smith-Buster discusses the importance of letting students choose these topics to incorporate into the classroom. She writes: "When planning a learning experience that connects the past and present, I first listen to my kids...These big ideas are important to my scholars; therefore, they drive my curriculum" (Smith-Buster, 2016, pg. 109). So, I would have students come up with topics as a class that they feel are important and meaningful to them and their experiences. Then, as a class, I would help students narrow the list down to maybe 2-3 topics, allowing students to then choose a topic to write about. This could include things like experiences in the lunchroom, with sports, or celebrations at home for example. Then, I would have students share their poems with one another, thinking about how their experiences are similar or different from their classmates from other cultures or ethnicities. This would allow students to critically analyze their own writing, as well as, their classmates', looking at situations from other perspectives to point out and challenge possible stereotypes.
Useful Links:
Educators guide provided by author Irene Latham: https://www.irenelatham.com/pdf/hair_Curriculum_Guide_2017.pdf
Students Riff on "Can I Touch Your Hair?": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vl2_is0U8DM&feature=youtu.be
Charles Waters reading his poems from the book: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WjyAykknbUs
Irene Latham reading her poems: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HNOW-wW2D9Y
The authors discussing the book: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ljDIG0i1URs
The illustrators discussing the book: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KqGihTl-rZg
Interview with illustrator Sean Qualls: https://kidlit.tv/2017/02/phils-fast-five-sean-qualls/
Authors talking about the book: https://lernerbooks.blog/2018/03/can-i-touch-your-hair-irene-latham-charles-waters-carol-hinz.html
Q & A with the authors and illustrator: https://lernerbooks.blog/2018/01/can-i-touch-your-hair-webcast-interview.html
Teaching resources: https://www.teachingbooks.net/tb.cgi?tid=54440
Sources:
Irene Latham & Charles Waters. Photo of Authors Irene Latham & Charles Waters. Reprinted from Irenelatham.com, by Irene Latham, n.d., Retrieved from
Latham, I., Waters, C., Qualls S. & Alko, S. (2018) Can I Touch Your Hair?. Minneapolis, MN: Learner Publishing Group, Inc.
Sean Qualls & Selina Alko. Photo of Illustrators Sean Qualls & Selina Alko. Reprinted from Seanqualls.com, by Sean Qualls, n.d., Retrieved from
Smith-Buster, E. (2016). Social Justice Literature and Writing: The Case for Widening
Our Mentor Texts. Language Arts, 94(2), 108-111.