Water, particularly in the lives of Black Americans, has historically been characterized by its danger, offering up notions of fear, horror, and death. Ironically, Black children's schooling experiences regarding "literature" have been described similarly. Throughout this essay, I take up Sharpe's (2016) wake work and King's (2019) black shoal as I detail my own experiences with water alongside my reading journey. I explicate how both reading and water can and have served as sites of trauma "and" healing and what that can tell us about how, as educators of Black children, we might more meaningfully think about the texts we select for students and how we teach them. I conclude with three texts and accompanying questions that may provide educators with an entrée into discussing the healing nature of water with Black students.