{2026 New Release} I Am the River : Sarah E. Ray and the Bob-Lo Boat by: Leah Henderson, Patricia Lee Gauch, Kristle Marshall I am the river. Blue and green, fast and flowing,sweeping river grasses aside . . .moving between Lake Erie and Detroit.The Detroit River has long had a story to tell. It has seen a time before people. And it has seen many faces cross its waters, from Indigenous people guiding canoes to settlers on its banks and freedom seekers riding the underground railroad north toward liberty, with Bob-Lo Island at the river’s end, so close to Canada.

Sarah E. Ray played a significant role in the Civil Rights movement, but her story is less known than figures like Rosa Parks. #kidlit #newrelease #IAmtheRiver #CivilRightsmovement #SarahERay #LeahHenderson #KristleMarshall #PatriciaLeeGauch #WeNeedDiverseBooks