Ooh! Ahhh! Whoaa! Interview and Giveaway with Chana Stiefel and Susan Gal, the AWEsomely Creative Team Behind AWE!

Yes, the title of this post borrows from this gloriously AWEsome picture book (published March 3, 2026 by Scholastic Press), but I totally couldn’t resist! Both a visual treat (thank you, Susan) and an inspiring read (thank you, Chana), what makes AWE! vault into being one of the best picture books I’ve ever read is how the words and pictures meld together to create a memorable, soul stirring, heart lifting experience.

I was over-the-moon thrilled to “meet” Chana and Susan via Zoom (especially since Chana and I missed meeting each other in person at Brandeis University, where her daughter and my son completed their undergraduate degrees) and can report that this awesomely creative duo is warm, welcoming, gracious, and close friends as well. I’m absolutely bursting with excitement to introduce them to all of you!

Before I start the interview, here’s a summary of AWE! borrowed from Scholastic Book Clubs:
From the Grand Canyon to the deepest reaches of the sea, from prayer and moments of giving to joy evoked by family and community, this thrilling celebration will lift you to the highest heights, hold you as your spirits soars, and guide you on an unforgettable journey that will stir your heart and soul.

Laura: Chana and Susan, Welcome to Writers’ Rumpus!

Chana, what was your inspiration for writing AWE!?

Chana: Thank you for inviting us, Laura! Needless to say, it’s AWEsome to be here! Growing up in Miami, my parents instilled in me and my siblings a deep appreciation for the wonders of nature.  Alligators, herons, manatees,…oh my! We explored America’s national parks from the swampy Everglades to the peaks of the Rockies. Fortunately, I’ve been able to pass along this passion to my children, as well. But I could never put my finger on exactly why I love these encounters so much. Yes, these experiences are fascinating and joyful, but I felt that there must be something deeper.

Then in 2023, I listened to a podcast called 10% Happier, in which Dan Harris interviews Dr. Dacher Kelter, a professor of psychology at Berkeley, who describes the “one emotion that may be the key to happiness.” And that’s awe! Dr. Keltner defines awe as “experiencing something vast that transcends your current understanding of the world.” If you’ve experienced chills or gotten teary-eyed when seeing a gorgeous sunset, a magnificent concert, or a brand new baby…that’s awe! After learning about the power of awe, I knew I had to write a picture book about this Awesome. Wondrous. Empowering emotion. 

Laura: From our Zoom conversation, I was intrigued to learn that you collaborated on this wondrous story from its inception. Can you both share your thoughts about how the collaboration worked to create this picture book masterpiece?

Chana: Susan and I bonded over the release of our first book, THE TOWER OF LIFE. We learned that we had many shared interests, including our love of nature. When I started working on AWE!, I knew that I wanted Susan to illustrate, and I’m so grateful she said yes! Her artwork is an exploration of awe itself.

Susan: The first time I read Chana’s manuscript for AWE!, I was completely taken with her writing and the way she presented awe. I think we both knew that eventually we had to meet in person to share our thoughts and collaborate. We arranged to meet at Books of Wonder in New York City, and I had some sketches ready to share with her. The beauty of working with Chana is that she knows how to give space for the art to flourish along with her expertly crafted prose. Her words fire up images in my brain and they pour out into my sketches. The most difficult part of working together was having to let go of some spreads that didn’t gel with the entirety of the book. My favorite example of this is the line “standing in the mist of a waterfall spray”. Oh man, that still makes me tingle, and I can feel the cool misty spray on my skin. That is some good awe! 

Laura: Your smiles are contagious, and your wonderful bond is clearly evident.

Susan, your illustrations are bright, beautiful, and AWE inspiring. I especially loved the beginning endpapers that build up to the title page. “A fin! A tail! A giant splashing whale! That’s … AWE!” I also loved the pullout spread of the red rock canyons, your spectacular illustration of the northern lights, and how on every single page, there is so much amazing detail to delight the eye again and again. Even the cover title itself is brimming with gorgeous details! What I forgot to mention in our Zoom session is that my mother was a gifted artist, so illustrators have a special place in my heart. What was your artistic medium and illustration process for this glorious book?

Susan: I tried to make the art as rich and inspiring as I could possibly paint it. I wanted the reader to feel those chills that you feel when experiencing awe. The paintings had to flow and be expressive and sometimes that meant repainting a spread several times until I felt that I got it right. (Below is Mabel bearing witness to my attempts at trying to paint the northern lights). 

I draw and paint with many mediums: watercolors, acrylics, crayons, pastels, ink, etc. on paper. I love those little discoveries and happy accidents that can happen with paint and paper. Working traditionally helps me to be spontaneous and pushes me to bring life to the spreads. 

Laura: Susan, you absolutely captured life within the spreads! I can’t think of a better gift book than this one, guaranteed to lift the spirits of any lucky recipient, no matter what age or stage.

There are so many layers of AWE!, from the beginning endpapers to the author’s and illustrator’s note at the end, plus awe-some facts uncovered by scientists. Chana, can you share your hopes for how this book might inspire readers?

Chana: Thank you for your kind and uplifting words, Laura. My hope is that people of all ages will start a practice of searching for awe every day—in nature, the arts, science, spirituality, and in other human beings. You don’t have to travel far to find it. Awe is truly everywhere! In our technological, high-stress, and disconnected world, having an “awe-venture” can transform the way we think and feel. Research shows that experiencing awe has the power to decrease anxiety and also increase creativity, curiosity, and human connection. Exactly what we need right now.

Laura: Agreed!! I need to mention that I saw the outrageously awesome photo of you both looking like you were swinging from a skyscraper! Susan, I’ll let you explain this one!

Susan: It’s funny that you mention swinging from a skyscraper, Laura! That photo was taken at the Edge in NYC. They offer visitors the opportunity to hang off the building in special gear but Chana and I passed on that experience. 

Chana encouraged me and my family to visit the Edge for inspiration for the spread featuring awe from a city perspective. It was an awesome view, to say the least, and it helped me in creating that spread. As an illustrator, you can’t always travel to a destination that you are required to illustrate. I was fortunate to be in that fantastic city space so I could interpret that breath-taking view.

Laura: Susan, you captured it brilliantly! Chana, as you mentioned earlier, you first collaborated on the THE TOWER OF LIFE: How Yaffa Eliach Rebuilt Her Town in Stories and Photographs. That important book won won an impressive list of awards including the Sydney Taylor Book Award (Gold Medal), a Robert F. Sibert Honor Book, the Russell Freedman Award for Nonfiction for a Better World, and a Chicago Public Library’s Best of the Best Books of 2022: Best Informational Books for Younger Readers and many more accolades.

Can you share what THE TOWER OF LIFE is about and your editing process? Susan, can you explain how you were chosen as the illustrator and how the illustration style differs from AWE!?

Chana: THE TOWER OF LIFE is the picture book biography of a remarkable Jewish woman named Yaffa Eliach, who survived the Holocaust, became a preeminent professor of history, and rebuilt her Polish town not in bricks and mortar, but in stories and photographs. Yaffa created the Tower of Life, a three-story exhibit in the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum (USHMM) in Washington, DC, displaying over 1,000 photographs of the people of her town living their daily lives before the war. Many of these photographs were taken by Yaffa’s grandmother, who was murdered by the Nazis. The photos show brides and grooms, shopkeepers, farmers, and children playing in the snow. Yaffa’s mission was to restore humanity to the victims of the Holocaust. She wanted all of us to see the humanity in each other.

When I was struggling with my manuscript, a friend offered invaluable advice: “The Holocaust was 1 x 6 million.” In other words, 6 million Jews were murdered by the Nazis, but my task wasn’t to try to share with children the entire history of the Holocaust. My job was to focus on one courageous woman and her incredible journey. I cut everything unrelated to the thread of Yaffa’s journey, and I included a great deal of resources in the backmatter.

Susan: Traditionally, authors and illustrators do not collaborate on a picture book. My agent sent me Chana’s manuscript and the photo of Yaffa feeding the chickens. Seeing the photo of little Yaffa and learning about her incredible life in Chana’s beautiful storytelling—I felt honored to be chosen to illustrate her story. Because this book is about a real person, I had to stay true to Yaffa’s likeness and the time period of her life. There is an excellent photo archive online from the Holocaust Museum, and that was my most valuable resource. Because Chana focused on the light of Yaffa’s legacy, it did not feel right to me to paint the spreads in sepia tones or black and white images. I rendered the book in full, rich color. It was important to portray, as Yaffa intended, the Eishyshkians murdered in the Holocaust as real, living people and not simply faces in old photographs. 

Laura: Learning about the care and respect that went into creating TOWER OF LIFE, I’m not surprised at all that it won so many awards.

Now back to AWE!, which I predict will also win awards galore. Where can teachers, parents, and caregivers learn more and extend the lessons about AWE!?

Chana: Thank you for asking! The backmatter of AWE! has many resources. In addition, I’ve created two free downloadable teaching guides to AWE! with educator Sari Kapitnikoff, available on my website. Click here for an educational companion to AWE! And click here for a Jewish learning awe-venture! 

Susan: Chana and I put a lot of thought into showing that awe is accessible to everyone, everywhere. It is our hope that readers will be encouraged to discover and experience their own awe. It truly can be found in all of us, every day. 

Laura: 1,000 times yes! Awe is all around us if we breath deeply and open up our senses.

Where does the magic happen for each of you? Can you share photos of your work spaces?

Chana: I love the word “magic” to describe the creative process. There is something wondrous (or shall we say “awesome”) about the ability of brain cells to come up with a fresh idea and turn it into something tangible, like a book that a child will read (and hopefully love). In terms of where I write, I *just* cleaned my office after finishing a major revision of my novel (it NEVER looks this organized!). But I work all over my house, in coffee shops, the library, on line at the supermarket, and even in the pool (the photo below is from Koh Phi Phi, Thailand). Swimming clears my head. I’ve written and revised entire books in the pool. 

Susan: My studio is my happy place! I agree with Chana—there is something magical about the creative process. It’s also a lot of hard work and determination. When I have a day of terrible drawing, I’ll take a break and revisit the work of my favorite illustrators and painters. Studying how they were able to capture some magic encourages me to keep trying. 

Laura: Your results bring magic to the children who read your amazing books, and I thank you for sharing these wonderful photos!

Are you free to mention what’s next for you both? How can readers reach you?

Chana: I’m hoping to publish a follow up to AWE! And I’m polishing my first middle grade novel. It’s historical fiction based on my childhood growing up in Miami.

Susan: I’m currently illustrating an exciting picture book for Scholastic and a book for Penguin Random House based on the author’s true story. 

Laura: Wow! Or should I say, AWEsome?!

Chana, as such an experienced and successful author of “more than 30 heartfelt and humorous books for children,” what tips can you give to pre-published authors? 

Chana: Writing these days is so challenging. The news is overwhelming an we have so many distractions. And it’s become harder to break into publishing. But I have two Post-It notes next to my computer with quotes from Jane Yolen that read: “Take joy…Value the process, not the product!” and “Butt in chair.” Write messy first drafts for yourself. Block your social media, brew your favorite beverage, set a timer for 20 minutes, sit down, and write from your heart! Repeat, repeat, repeat. Good news will follow!

Laura: Thank you for those valuable tips. It’s been a tremendous pleasure and honor to interview you both, and I wish you continued success. Before sharing your very impressive bios, I’m thrilled to share details about the giveaway of your truly heartwarming, soul stirring, and awe inspiring picture book.

Readers, I wish you much awe in your lives and am thrilled to share that Chana has generously offered U.S. readers an opportunity to win a hardcover copy of AWE!

To enter the raffle , please leave a comment below. If you share this post and mention it in your comment, you’ll receive an additional entry into the raffle. Best wishes to you all! The randomly chosen winner will be notified right here on June 22, so please check back to this post on that date!