My newest book, What Do You Do with a Voice Like That? The Story of Extraordinary Congresswoman Barbara Jordan — illustrated by Ekua Holmes and published by Beach Lane Books/Simon & Schuster — has received a couple of shiny new reviews that I’m excited to share.

In a starred review, School Library Journal called the book “a timely yet subtle call-to-action … supremely accessible … an extraordinary book,” adding that “Everything succeeds in this collaborative effort to accurately reflect the power of Jordan’s voice and the impact she made on those she worked with and for” and concluding that the book is “An essential purchase for nonfiction collections.”

Shelf Awareness also awarded a star in its review:

Chris Barton’s (Dazzle Ships) strong, engaging text is well-matched by the stunning hues and bold textures of Ekua Holmes’s (Out of Wonder) mixed-media illustrations. Differing type sizes and colors, along with a generous trim size and strategic use of blank space, make the text easily readable and each illustration stand out.

Those professional reviews mean a lot, but so do the responses to the book from schools I’ve visited in Indiana, Virginia, Maryland, and Texas, including one I received yesterday.

Upon seeing me, one student asked, “You wrote What Do You Do with a Voice Like That? — that’s my favorite book!”

That’s the first time I’ve heard that about this new book, and there’s no better feeling.