The Picture Book Buzz - Interview with Chana Stiefel 2025

Chana Stiefel is the award-winning author of more than 30 punny and poignant books for children, both fiction and nonfiction.

She earned a Master’s degree in Science, Health, and Environmental Reporting from New York University. And She loves to visit schools and libraries to share her passion for reading and writing with children. 

Chana’s books include Bravo, Avocado!, illustrated by Anna Suessbauer (2023), The Tower of Life: How Yaffa Eliach Rebuilt Her Town in Stories and Photographs: How Yaffa Eliach Rebuilt Her Town in Stories and Photographs, illustrated by Susan Gal (2022), Mendel’s Hanukkah Mess Up, illustrated by Daphna Awadish (2022), Let Liberty Rise: How America’s Schoolchildren Helped Save the Statue of Liberty, illustrated by Chuck Groenink (2021), My Name Is Wakawakaloch, illustrated by Mary Sullivan (2019), Animal Zombies & Other Real-Life Monsters (2018), Daddy Depot, illustrated by Andy Snair (2017), and Fingerprints: Dead People Do Tell Tales (2012).

For additional information on Chana, see our earlier interview (here), (here) and (here). 

Her newest picture book is, Let’s Fly: Barrington Irving’s Record-Breaking Flight Around the World, releases on January 14th.

Welcome back Chana!

Thank you so much for having me, Maria!

What inspired you to write Let’s Fly: Barrington Irving’s Record-Breaking Flight Around the World? 

I first learned about Barrington Irving when Scholastic hired me in 2012 to write a classroom middle grade book called Sky High, about Barrington’s record-breaking flight around the world. A few years later, I was thinking about Barrington’s determination, resilience, and drive, and I realized that younger children need to hear his story and be inspired, too. So, with Barrington’s permission, I started writing a picture book about his journey.

That's a fun way to get inspiration. How did you come to collaborate with Barrington Irving?

During the writing process, I recognized that it was important to tell the story from Barrington’s perspective. This is his story, after all. Also, because I know how much children love imaginary play, I wanted to give readers the feeling of sitting in the copilot’s seat next to Barrington as he shares his story. So, I rewrote the manuscript in first person, with Barrington as the co-author. The first lines read:

“I’m a dream chaser. A solo flier. A world-record breaker. I’m Barrington Irving.

People said I’d never make my dreams come true. But I powered through!

Want to know how? Buckle up!

Flight controls…check. Fuel…check. Electrical power on.

Cockpit door locked. Start the engine.

Ground control, ready for takeoff—

Let’s fly!”

Writing it this way really made the story so fun and engaging. How long did it take from the first draft to publication for Let’s Fly?

I started working on the manuscript in 2016. So about eight or nine years from first draft to publication.

That's not too bad. What was the toughest or most challenging aspect of writing Let’s Fly? How did this differ from your other nonfiction picture books?

Each one of my books has presented its own challenges. For Let Liberty Rise: How Schoolchildren Helped Save the Statue of Liberty, I traveled by ferry to Ellis Island to do research at the Bob Hope Memorial Library, which is dedicated to research about the Statue of Liberty. I also scanned through dozens of reels of microfilm at the New York Public Library to find newspapers from the 1880s.

For The Tower of Life: How Yaffa Eliach Rebuilt Her Town in Stories and Photographs, I took on the monumental task of writing about the Holocaust for children. I also had the challenge of getting the details of this remarkable woman’s history and legacy just right. I read Yaffa Eliach’s 800-page book, There Once Was a World, watched videos and documentaries, interviewed Yaffa’s daughter, visited the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, and so much more.

For Let’s Fly!, I had already done a lot of research, having previously written a middle grade book about Barrington. I had interviewed him a few times and I condensed his 50,000-word travel log into a 5,000-word middle grade book. For the picture book, Let’s Fly!, I built upon that research. My children and I met Barrington at his airport in Opa-Locka, Florida, where we toured his airplane hangar and watched airplanes take off and land from the air-traffic control tower. I also read many more articles and watched clips of Barrington’s recent accomplishments. All of this enabled me to add many delightful details to the picture book.

Wow! Thank you so much for sharing the challenges and the avenues your research followed in creating these three remarkable books. Did anything surprise or amaze you when you first got to see Shamar Knight-Justice’s illustrations? What is your favorite spread?

Shamar’s brightly colored, child-friendly art is stunning. I was amazed to learn that in addition to being a New York Times best-selling illustrator, Shamar is an elementary school principal in Atlanta! He works on illustrations from 4 to 6 a.m. before heading to school. And like Barrington, he’s also a dad! Working with these two awesome people has inspired me to work harder! No excuses! 

Text © Chana Stiefel, 2025. Image © Shamar Knight-Justice, 2025.

There are so many spreads I love in this book. One that I connect with is Barrington’s first flight over Miami. I also grew up in South Florida and I love the perspective of flying over the beautiful city, which reminds me of home.

It is a really fun image, and I love Shamar's illustrations, too. Is there something you want your readers to know about, or take away from, Let’s Fly?

Barrington and I want kids to know that they can aim high and accomplish their dreams. They should never let anyone stand in their way. The keys to success are to study, work hard, and practice. And don’t be afraid to get help when you need it. Many people supported Barrington on his journey, including his family and his mentor, Captain Gary Robinson.

What’s more, I’m forever inspired by Barrington’s humility and generosity. He didn’t fly around the world just to draw attention to himself. He did it to inspire other kids. And 18 years later, he continues to do that in so many ways. He runs a non-profit afterschool program called Experience Aviation, to teach kids aviation and aeronautics. He turned an airplane into a Flying Classroom, which he flies around the world and teaches kids STEAM via Zoom. And he started a program called the Barrington Irving Technical Training School (BITTS), which trains young adults for careers in aviation.

Thank you for including all this other information about Barrington and his dedication to helping kids learn about aviation and flying. We often focus on what was hard about writing a book. What was the most fun or fascinating part of writing Let’s Fly?

I loved meeting Barrington at his airport and seeing the planes up close. I also had the opportunity to sit in the co-pilot seat on two flights while traveling with my husband in Alaska. (Don’t worry, I didn’t touch any of the controls.) I loved takeoff and landing (one time, we landed on a beach at Lake Clark National Park to see bears!), and also the feeling of floating above our beautiful planet. I can see why Barrington fell in love with flying.

How exciting! Are there any new projects you are working on now that you can share a tidbit with us?

My next book is a middle grade non-fiction book called HOW RUDE: Animals That Burp, Toot, Spit, and Screech to Survive. It’s coming from Union Square in November 2025!

We'll have to keep our eyes open for this book; it sounds interesting. Last question, is there a plant or flower you love growing, or wish you could grow, in your yard or garden?

For years, I loved planting tomatoes and cucumbers. But the deer, ground hogs, and rabbits have become so prevalent in my New Jersey neighborhood, that it’s impossible to plant vegetables unless you have a screened-in garden. All that I can grow now are herbs, like basil and rosemary.

At least they leave them alone! I can totally sympathize. I can grow all the strawberries I want, but I never get to eat any! Thank you, Chana, for sharing with us a bit about yourself and your newest picture book.

Thank you so much for having me, Maria!

Be sure to come back on Friday for the Perfect Picture Book #PPBF post on Let’s Fly: Barrington Irving’s Record-Breaking Flight Around the World.

To order a signed copy of Let’s Fly!, please visit: https://thecuriousreaderbooks.com/book/9780593532133

To find out more about Chana Stiefel, or contact her:

Website: https://chanastiefel.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chana.stiefel

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chanastiefel/

If you're in the New Jersey area:

Meet co-author Captain Barrington Irving, who broke records as the youngest person and first Black man to fly solo around the world! 

What: Book launch party for LET’S FLY! Barrington Irving’s Record-Breaking Flight Around the World, by Barrington Irving and Chana Stiefel, illustrated by Shamar Knight-Justice (Dial/PRH)

When: Tues. Jan. 14, 6:30 pm

Where: The Curious Reader, 229 Rock Road, Glen Rock, NJ

Can’t make it? Pre-order your signed copy here!