Today — 1,889 days after my friend Kathi Appelt first suggested I write this book — brings the publication of 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, our book tells the story of how my fellow native Texan developed the natural gift of her speaking voice into a tool for instructing, imploring, and inspiring colleagues, students, and fellow citizens to make our political system work better for all of us.

Over at the Nerdy Book Club, I’ve got a guest post today called 22 More Barbara Jordan Books, Please. I hope you’ll go take a look. Here’s some of what you’ll see:

[F]or What Do You Do with a Voice Like That?, I’ve got an additional hope: that readers of all ages will be inspired to make more books about Barbara Jordan. That’s a pretty lofty dream, but hear me out: Barbara Jordan’s life and career are fascinating to me. And I frankly find it incredible that — more than 22 years after her death — this picture book created by Ekua Holmes and me is the only literary nonfiction title about her to be published for young readers.

I’m also delighted to see others already celebrating the publication of this book, none with more enthusiasm than leaping librarian Stacey Rattner and her elementary students in Castleton, New York.

They’re already thinking about how they’re going to use their voices. How are you going to use yours?