Q&A with Susan B. Katz

  

 

 

Susan B. Katz is the author of the children's picture book Gaudí: Architect of Imagination, which is now available in a Spanish-language edition, Gaudí: El arquitecto de la imaginación. She is also an educator and artist.

 

Q: How did the Spanish-language edition of your picture book about Gaudí come about?

 

A: I’d always wanted to publish a Spanish-language edition of Gaudí: Architect of Imagination, Gaudí: El arquitecto de la imaginación (North/South, March, 2026).

 

When living in Spain for several years—teaching at the American School of Valencia—I visited Barcelona often. After I moved back to California, a box of hand-painted ceramics broke in transit.

 

Like Gaudí, I made lemonade out of lemons and started teaching mosaic classes to both children and adults. I sold mosaic tables, mailboxes, and frames at the local farmer’s market and on commission. All of this was inspired by the work of this  iconic artist and architect whose mosaic homes, parks, basilicas, and benches bedazzle the Barcelona city streets.

 

As a Spanish-immersion teacher for more than 30 years, I had insight into the need for Spanish-language picture book biographies in the U.S. Publishing this book in Spanish means creating more mirrors, windows, and sliding glass doors for multilingual learners to see themselves in books; learn about various cultures, artists, and countries; and step into Gaudí’s magical world.

 

Now, the gift stores at the actual Casa Milà (La Pedrera), Park Güell, Casa Batlló, La Sagrada Familia, and Casa Vicens can carry both the Spanish version, Gaudí: El arquitecto de la imaginación, and English edition, Gaudí: Architect of Imagination. Globally, children will benefit from having access to this incredibly triumphant tale.

 

Q: What was the translation process like for you?

 

A: It was an honor to translate my own work. As a bilingual author, I’ve taken on this role before for one of my titles (All Year Round/Un Año Redondo, Scholastic); however, Gaudí: Architect of Imagination/ Gaudí: El arquitecto de la imaginación is a longer, more complex, and nuanced text.

 

I am grateful for the detail-oriented support of a brilliant editor, with whom I made crucial decisions to best reflect Gaudí’s home language (Catalan, not Castilian/Spanish), his country which is like a second home to me, and the impactful art he created.

 

Everything I translated was run by a copy editor, ensuring accuracy and authenticity. I also shared the manuscript with editor/writer friends in Spain and Costa Rica to adapt the wording, so it resonates in both Latin American and Castilian Spanish.

 

Q: What are some of your favorite things about Gaudí's work?

 

A: Gaudí’s teacup benches in Park Güell are by far and away my favorite creation among his vast repertoire of work. These undulated, snake-like masterpieces sit atop a life-sized Candyland. They are filled with broken plates, glass bottle bottoms, and shards of tile; all creating a kaleidoscope of color that attracts over four million visitors annually.

 

Little known fact: My original title for this book was Broken Beauty. While the title got changed, I still inscribe each book, “Broken can be beautiful.” In fact, using broken pieces of pottery enabled Antoni to create mosaic masterpieces on a grand scale.

 

Gaudí was a pioneer, ahead of his time; however, many scholars, artists, and passersby doubted his glitzy style. They jeered, “I don’t know if we’re graduating a genius or a fool?” Decades later, Antoni Gaudí’s La Sagrada Família basilica is the most visited tourist site in all of Spain.

 

Q: What do you hope kids take away from this new edition of the book?

 

A: May children be inspired by his life story of struggling to walk, observing nature, and morphing his challenges into breathtaking works of art. I hope that children will learn not to be deterred by any naysayers.

 

One main take-away is that persistence, patience, and perseverance remain the key ingredients needed in accomplishing any goal.

 

Gaudí’s passion, combined with his raw talent and fearlessness, catapulted him forward. He went on to build entire homes covered with elaborate façades, parks with larger than life iguana fountains, and basilicas adorned with gargoyles and spiral staircases, all mimicking the curvy lines Gaudí observed as a boy while riding a donkey in the countryside.

 

Nature became his teacher. When I visit schools, I often tell children to look for the curvy lines in nature—be that a tree branch, a river bend, or a bird’s wing.

 

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: I am co-authoring a narrative nonfiction book for adults about the brave women and men who rescued 600 Jewish children from a Dutch daycare during WWII.

 

My co-author, Esther Shaya, and I have had the honor of interviewing dozens of survivors, now in their 80s, as well as several of the rescue workers and their children and grandchildren.

 

Angels of Amsterdam (Little Brown/Hachette, January 12, 2027) is a true, largely untold story of heroism that expands the Holocaust narrative in the Netherlands. Many of the survivors we’ve met live in the U.S. and Canada.

 

On the kid lit front, I am writing the first book in a series about U.S. Government and Civics. It is aimed at middle school and high school readers and will be published by Sourcebooks.

 

Q: Anything else we should know?

 

A: I have written more than 80 books—one of which hit #9 among all children’s books on Amazon, and #18 among all books—and am now focused on my next goal of illustrating. As an award-winning wildlife photographer, I plan on creating a series of STEAM titles that integrate my images.

 

My first solo exhibit took place in the fall of 2025 in Tiburon, California, and my work is now on display in Corte Madera, California. A mirror gallery can be found here: https://susankatzbooks.com/gallery/

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb. Here's a previous Q&A with Susan B. Katz.