Steamboat School is presented in a color scheme that suggests the sepia of old photos, or an older book that has faded with the passage of time
That’s fitting, because this is a historical story, set in a 1847 St. Louis. Ideally, it also discusses a time that is gone forever, because Deborah Hopkinson’s 2016 picture book focuses on events that happened during slavery, and attitudes that should be gone forever.
It is, as the cover notes, “inspired by a true story,” that pf Reverend John Berry Meachum. Born into slavery, Meachum bought his freedom, then the freedom of his wife and children. Among other activities, Meachum ran a school until Missouri passed a state law forbidding educating African Americans. Meachum got around this by starting a school on a steamboat. Since the boat was on the Mississippi, it was technically on federal property…which put it outside the boundaries of state law and allowed him to resume teaching.
This book tells a fictionalized version of that story, putting a face and action to this important story. Ron Husband’s illustrations often evoke the prints commonly used as illustrations at the time, and some of them capture the drama of key moments (and implied action) well. Themes of bravery, justice, and education are woven through the book.
This is a book to learn from, and to respect, rather than one that will necessarily be enjoyed for its own sake…but I found myself nodding along as I read.
