Awe!

This mesmerizing exploration of that wondrous feeling, AWE, will lift you up and make your spirit soar!

A fin! A tail!A giant splashing whale!
Introducing the most AWESOME, WONDEROUS, and EMPOWERING emotion of all-The one that sends chills down your spine,Brings sudden tears to surprise your eyes,and makes your heart exclaim "Ooh! Ahhh! Woah!"That is AWE!
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.
Distinctions for The Tower of Life:
Sydney Taylor Book Award (Gold Medal for Picture Books)
Robert F. Sibert Honor Book (Silver Medal Picture Book)
Russell Freedman Award Winner for Nonfiction for a Better World (Inaugural Award)
An ALSC Notable Book
Junior Library Guild Gold Standard
2023 ALA Rise: A Feminist Book List
School Library Journal Best Book
Booklist Editors' Choice for Books for Youth List 2022
School Library Journal (starred review)
Booklist (starred review)
The Horn Book (starred review)
Publishers Weekly (starred review)
Chicago Public Library's Best of the Best Books of 2022: Best Informational Books for Younger Readers
2022 New York Public Library's Best New Books for Kids
CA Eureka! Nonfiction Children's Book Award - Honor/Silver Medal
Tablet Magazine's Best Books of the Year
2022 Nerdy Book Club Award
Common Sense Media Award
2023 CCBC Choices List: Historical People, Places, and Events
Margaret Wise Brown Prize winner for 2023
Bank Street Best Books of the Year Ages 9-12
2023 Teacher Favorites Award - Book List
Malka Penn Award for Human Rights in Children's Literature Winner
Pennsylvania Young Readers Award 2024 for grades 3-6 Nomination
Common Sense Selection for Books Chana Stiefel is the award-winning author of more than 30 humorous and heartfelt books for children. Her nonfiction books include THE TOWER OF LIFE, the true story of Holocaust survivor and historian Yaffa Eliach, who created the Tower of Faces at the US Holocaust Memorial Museum (a Junior Libary Guild Gold Medal Selection, Scholastic); LET LIBERTY RISE: How America's Schoolchildren Helped Save the Statue of Liberty (a Bank Street Best Book of the Year, Scholastic, 2021); and ANIMAL ZOMBIES & OTHER REAL-LIFE MONSTERS (a Top 10 YALSA Quick Pick, NatGeoKids). Chana's funny fictional picture books include MENDEL'S HANUKKAH MESS UP (Kalaniot), MY NAME IS WAKAWAKALOCH (HMH), and DADDY DEPOT (Feiwel & Friends). She loves to visit schools and libraries to share her passion for reading and writing with children.


After completing her BFA at Art Center College of Design, Susan Gal began her illustration career as a poster and calendar artist. She is an award-winning illustrator of several picture books, including Welcoming Elijah: A Passover Tale with a Tail by Lesléa Newman, winner of both the Sydney Taylor Book Award and the National Jewish Book Award, and The Tower of Life: How Yaffa Eliach Rebuilt Her Town in Stories and Photographs by Chana Stiefel, recipient of the Sydney Taylor Book Award and Robert F. Sibert Honor. Susan lives with her husband in Berkeley, California, where she creates fun and whimsical illustrations while attempting to live a caffeine- and nuclear-free life. Visit her at galgirlstudio.com.