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

by Patricia Lee Gauch, Leah Henderson, Kristle Williams (Illustrator)

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. At one time, a giant steamboat carried hundreds of excited children and adults to the amusement park that was built on Bob-Lo.

But Sarah E. Ray discovered in 1945 that not all people were invited on this boat, to this island, once a symbol of the journey to freedom. It depended, she discovered, on the color of your skin.

This is the dramatic story of how one young woman’s courage could create a dramatic turning point that would stand out proudly, and forevermore, in the history of a river older than the country called America.

Genres: Nonfiction, Picture Books, Biography, History, Childrens, Historical, Biography Memoir

48 pages, Hardcover

Published January 6, 2026

About the author

Patricia Lee Gauch is an author who has written over 30 works of children's literature. In 1993, Gauch was inducted into the New Jersey Literary Hall of Fame. She has been a resident of the Basking Ridge section of Bernards Township, New Jersey.

Reviews

[Anthony · Rating 4 out of 5]

A forgotten and overlooked event in American history concerning events along the Detroit River and Bous Blanc ( Bob-Lo), the last stepping-stone to freedom along the Underground Railroad. Later events in the summer of June 21, 1945, would lead Sarah Eluzabeth Ray to bring a lawsuit against the Bob-Lo Excursion Company.

[Marti (Letstalkaboutbooksbaybee) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you librofm for the free listening copy

Whyyy is Sarah E. Ray not as well known as someone like Rosa Parks? Their stories are so similar, and I love books for teaching me about people and moments in history that the public school system never felt fit to teach me.

[Melanie Dulaney · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book screams “Mentor Text” as well as “Picture Book Biography.”

In its role as a biography for children, the authors provide an introductory look at the role a river through Detroit, Michigan and the island of Bois Blanc, often pronounced Bob-Lo, played as a station on the Underground Railroad for enslaved people seeking freedom in Canada and then smoothly moves years later to a young woman, Sarah Ray, seeking further education in Detroit. Lesser known than Rosa Parks, Sarah, too, was denied a place on a mode of transportation but this time it was an elegant boat, used to reach the island for a day of recreation. Sarah complied with the boat personnel who threatened to forcibly remove her but took her fight for justice to the NAACP and won in lower courts as well as the Supreme Court.

As a mentor text, using the river provides a figurative look at the flow of time as well as a more literal picture of the river’s role in helping enslaved people reach freedom and moving people from the city to the island. And the irony! How could any older elementary to middle grader or junior high school student fail to see the irony between a river used for freedom in one time period and the very same river denying civil rights to any non-white person? Figurative language included in Henderson and Gauch’s text include alliteration, metaphor, onomatopoeia and hyperbole as well as a myriad of vivid verbs and strong adjectives. Symbolism flows (like a river!!!) throughout.

Excellent picture book to be used with lower elementary through junior high school in a history classroom or as a mentor text in ELAR lessons. Perfect for cross-curricular study.

Thanks for sending me a finished hardcover copy for pre-publication review, Levine Querido.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yet another jewel in the crown of Black heroism in America is uncovered for the picture-book-biography crowd for the very first time here. An esteemed pair of children’s authors, in perfect consonance with a talented illustrator, present the saga of young Sarah Elizabeth Ray, a newcomer to Detroit from the South as part of the Great Migration, doggedly determined to find a better job and a better life up North. In 1945, Bob-Lo Island’s amusement park in the Detroit River is the place to unwind and relax, and Sarah, having just finished secretarial school, is excited to join a dozen classmates on a celebratory boat ride to the isle. A commotion and failure to launch upon boarding the Bob-Lo excursion boat turns out to be precipitated by the presence of unassuming Sarah, whose skin color alone has marked her for scorn, humiliation, and exclusion by the boat company. No popcorn or Ferris wheels for Sarah and her “kind”! Recalling tales of Harriet Tubman herself having made use of Bob-Lo Island decades earlier as a last stop on the Underground Railroad to Canada during slavery times, and instead of capitulating, Sarah made a phone call to the NAACP. Lawsuits challenged (and won) wound up involving no one less renowned than Thurgood Marshall and the U.S. Supreme Court. The words in this book are a lyrical prose poem that elevate the story to its deservedly mighty and noble stature. A welcome addition to children’s bookshelves, ‘way beyond the Motor City.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

The information is so interesting and necessary, and I loved putting the most recent civil rights activism into historical context by including the Underground Railroad thread and what came before. But I'm not sure a picture book was the right format. It was obviously difficult to condense all of the necessary information down to a readable picture book, and Backmatter can only carry so much load.

As a kid, we went to Bob-Lo island several times, so this has an outsized nostalgia factor for me. The island's role in helping escaped slaves to freedom combined with the de facto segregation once it became an amusement park is a reflection of our larger problems as a country.

[Kay · Rating 3 out of 5]

While this is a necessary story to be shared the writing felt a bit awkward. The progression of the river's story and those who used it for various reasons started off well but the middle was a bit confusing. When Ms. Ray's story was introduced it began to flow smoothly again.

[Althea · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book was interesting as it covered a historical figure I'd never heard of before. The framing device was unique, but set up a bit awkwardly. Still, the information was eye opening.

[Bookishrealm · Rating 3 out of 5]

Don't get me wrong, the history captured in this book in invaluable; however, the writing style felt a little off and abrupt.

[J. Robinson-Readersgottoread · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5

[Julie Ditton · Rating 5 out of 5]

This beautiful book combines biography, history and lyrical text in an impressive picture book that will appeal to all ages. Long before Rosa Parks refused to give up her bus seat, Sara Elizbeth Ray fought for the right to ride on public transport. But the authors do not begin the story with Ray. Rather, they also tell the history of the river. They begin during the days of slavery, describing how the river led to Bob-Lo island which was a last stop on the underground railroad before escaped slaves slipped into Canada. Years later, that same island which offered freedom, held an amusement park that was not welcome to all. Sara Ray was escorted from the The Bob-Lo boat that ferried passengers to the island, because only whites were allowed. She gave up her seat and left the boat, but called the NAACP and took the case all the way to the Supreme Court.

The book captures youngsters attention by telling history through a constantly changing point of view. Beginning with beginning with "I am the river", the narrator changes from the river to the boat captains, the island. Then the biography begins half way through the book. Time passes and the narration moves from the giant boats, to the city of Detroit and finally Sara E. Ray. This ever changing narration puts the historical events in perspective for older readers and entertains younger ones. The test is also full of alliteration and metaphor, making the book a great choice for a classroom interdisciplinary lesson combining history and language arts. The art by debt picture book illustrator Kristie Marshall is engaging and I am sure I will be seeing more of her work in the future.

I was fortunate to receive a review copy of this book from the publisher, Levine Querido. I shared the book with a four year old, who enjoyed the ever changing narration and the happy ending. The suggested reading level of this book is four to eight. Older readers will understand the history being taught, and the book can be appreciated by readers well past the suggested reading level. I am a senior citizen and learned history which was never taught in school.