Kansas congresswoman Sharice Davids uplifts her audience and shares her groundbreaking story in this marvelous autobiography. Davids's text is accompanied by the bold, Ojibwe Woodland digital illustrations of Wasauksing, First Nation member Joshua Mangeshig Pawis-Steckley (This Is How I Know). Sharice's Big Voice tells the story of the first LGBTQ person to represent Kansas in the U.S. House of Representatives and one of the first ever Indigenous women elected to Congress.
Davids, a member of the Ho-Chunk Nation, briefly explains her Nation's history and delightfully ties it into the book's title and her love of talking: "We call ourselves People of the Big Voice. (Which obviously fits me well.)" Young Sharice's penchant for talking sometimes got her into trouble, but it also helped her connect with people. Davids, with the help of Kansas author Nancy K. Mays, pays tribute to her mother in the book, a career army drill sergeant who was her inspiration: "I knew I wanted to be like her when I grew up. Focused and fierce. Confident and kind. A person who serves others." Pawis-Steckley's art is also focused and fierce. In an artist's note, he states that he found in himself "the illustration style that best honored the relationship both Sharice and I have to our past, present, and future as Indigenous people on Turtle Island"; the rich colors, detailed patterns and thick black lines demand attention and will undoubtedly draw readers in.
Davids doesn't put a strong focus on her status as a member of the LGBTQ community in the picture book, but she includes brief references that offer an opportunity for adults to address with children this aspect of her life and why it's a notable first in Kansas. The Kansas congresswoman collects another win with this spirited and fun autobiography for young readers. --Jen Forbus, freelancer