I Am the River: Sarah E. Ray and the Bob-Lo Boat

Via shifting reportorial first-person prose, Gauch and Henderson deliver a tribute to a woman who changed the tide of history. Alternating the voice of the Detroit River with those of a boat captain, an island, a vessel, and more, the creators contextualize the story of Sarah Elizabeth Ray (1921–2006), a young Black woman from Tennessee who was in 1945 denied a celebratory passage on the Detroit River by the Bob-Lo Excursion Company (“No coloreds on this boat.... Company rules”). Refusing to accept injustice, Ray, with the help of the NAACP, takes the company to court for a civil rights violation and wins in the Supreme Court. Rippling digital paintings by Marshall mirror the movement of the Detroit River, while expressive portraits capture Ray’s determination and strength. Flowing with rhythm and reverence, this stirring picture book honors a belief in fairness that’s “as constant as the blue and green river.” Authors’ notes conclude. Ages 4–8. (Jan.)