About

 

Mia Wenjen is half Japanese & half Chinese American and married to a Korean American. This unusual ethnic combination made her seek out all kinds of Asian representation in children’s books for her three kids. Mia blogs on parenting, children’s books, and education at PragmaticMom.com and is the co-creator of Read Your World,  a non-profit celebrating diversity in children’s books.

Her debut picture book, Sumo Joe, illustrated by Nat Iwata (Lee and Low, 2019) was selected as a Bank Street College Best Children’s Book of the Year.

In this sweet and funny story, Sumo Joe and his friends enjoy pretending to be sumo wrestlers. But when his little sister wants to join their boy-only game, what should Sumo Joe do? [picture book, ages 4 and up]

She wrote Asian Pacific American Heroes for Scholastic (2020).

From musician Bruno Mars and Olympian Chloe Kim to chef Niki Nakayama, these real-life heroes inspire readers to learn about Asian Pacific American history, language, and culture. [middle grade picture book biography anthology, ages 8 and up]

She wrote Changing the Game: Asian Pacific American Female Athletes as a Kickstarter pandemic project. It will be available through Scholastic in June of 2025.

Meet 17 Asian Pacific American female athletes from yesterday and today!

From snowboarder Chloe Kim and hockey player Julie Chu to soccer player Natasha Kai-Marks, these champions inspire us as we learn how they rose to compete at the highest level and how they pave the way for others to follow. [middle grade picture book biography anthology, ages 8 and up]

Food for the Future: Sustainable Farms Around the World illustrated by Robert Sae-Heng, came out spring of 2023 through Barefoot Books. 

• ⭐ Starred review from School Library Journal!
• Junior Library Guild Gold selection
• Massachusetts Book Award Long List
• dPICTUS 100 Outstanding Picture Books of 2023
• Chicago Library’s Best of the Best
• 2023 INDIES Book of the Year Awards Finalist
• Green Earth Book Award Long List
• Nautilus Silver Winner, Nonfiction Children’s Picture Book
• Imagination Soup’s 35 Best Nonfiction Books of 2023 for Kids

Go on a tour of eco-friendly farms around the globe! From urban gardens to farms under the sea, discover the many different sustainable ways people have been growing food for centuries, and new innovations that are battling the effects of climate change on farming. Rhyming text and inset boxes with definitions for new vocabulary words make the topic accessible to young learners. End matter includes detailed information about each country’s farming practice, sustainable farming, and more. [nonfiction picture book, ages 3 and up]

 

We Sing from the Heart: How the Slants®  Took Their Fight for Free Speech to the Supreme Court, illustrated by Victor Bizar Gomez (Red Comet Press) released October 2024.

• ALSC Notable Children’s Book
• Orbis Pictus Recommended Book for Outstanding Nonfiction for Children
• California Eureka Non-Fiction Award Honor Book
• Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People Winner (from National Council for the Social Studies and Children’s Book Council)
• Junior Library Guild Gold Selection

A compelling account of Simon Tam’s fight for free speech that ended with a landmark Supreme Court decision

Music is a way to transcend cultures and divides. Simon Tam used his band’s name, The Slants®, to make a powerful statement that racist insults could no longer be hurtful to Asian Americans. But then the U.S. Trade and Patent Office tries to stop him. In his eight-year battle to win trademark protection, Simon would go all the way to the Supreme Court in a landmark case to rout out structural racism in our government systems. Mia Wenjen takes us back to Simon’s early days and the formation of the band, to the long battle to claim the name they chose to use. We learn of his motivations and the years-long struggle that leads ultimately to the Supreme Court of the United States. Told using lyrics from the band’s hit song about their trademark fight, this compelling story will keep readers riveted until the dramatic ending. We Sing from the Heart gives background and context to the significance of Simon’s quest, not just for him and his band, but for free speech rights for us all. Newcomer to children’s books, Victor Bizar Gómez, channels the indie music world with dynamic artwork that compliments the storytelling and is sure to draw in readers with his exciting graphic approach. [middle grade picture book biography, ages 8 and up]

Boxer Baby Battles Bedtime, illustrated by Kai Gietzen (Eifrig Publishing) released May 2024.

Mom is counting on Dad to get Boxer Baby down for her nap, but Boxer Baby is the G.O.A.T. of sleep avoidance. This hilarious face-off mimics a three-round boxing match, as Boxer Baby is no lightweight when it comes to staying awake. Dad has a few tricks up his sleeve, but will it be enough in this epic battle against nap time? Boxer Baby Battles Bedtime! uses figurative language to show how many common idioms have boxing origins. [picture book, ages 3 and up]

The Traveling Taco: The Amazing and Surprising Journey of Many of Your Favorite Foods illustrated by Kimberlie Clinthorne-Wong (Red Comet Press) releases in May 2025. 

An exploration of the history of kids’ favorite foods from around the world

From pizza to pasta and ice cream to French fries, some of our favorite foods have a surprising history, and many of them have traveled far from where they originated! Did you know many well-known dishes are food immigrants? The Al Pastor Taco traveled from Lebanon to Puebla, Mexico! French fries originated in Belgium! And pasta arrived in Italy long before Marco Polo visited China. This fascinating nonfiction book featuring rhyming text takes the reader on travels around the world to celebrate foods, their history, and surprising origins. Join Mia Wenjen for a fact-packed journey of discovery that will make your mouth water as you travel the unexpected road of some of our favorite foods. [nonfiction picture book, ages 5 and up]

Postcards from Malcolm X: How Yuri Kochiyama Became a Civil Rights Activist illustrated by Keith Henry Brown (Red Comet Press) releases in 2026.

Mia is also the co-author of two books with Alison Foley, HOW TO COACH GIRLS (a primer on how to keep girls in sports for coaches), and THE ELUSIVE FULL RIDE SCHOLARSHIP: AN INSIDER’S GUIDE.

To find the best diverse books, she wrote BEST #OWNVOICES CHILDREN’S BOOKS: MY FAVORITE DIVERSITY BOOKS FOR KIDS AGES 1-12 published by Audrey Press.

She is also the co-founder of Aquent, the global leader in talent and recruiting for marketing, creative, and design.

Follow her @pragmaticmom on social media.

For her book events, please go here.