My Books – Mia Wenjen

Posted on June 15, 2024June 15, 2024 by Mia Wenjen — Leave a comment

Some Book News!

WE SING FROM THE HEART is a Junior Library Guild Gold Selection

Boxer Baby Battles Bedtime! Just Released!

Boxer Baby Battles Bedtime! by Mia Wenjen, illustrated by Kai Gietzen

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.

Food for the Future Wins Nautilus Silver Book Award!

Food for the Future 1st Birthday and NEW music video!

I have 3 Haiku Poems in a new poetry anthology!

Gnomes and Ungnomes by The Writers’ Loft Book Launch

Here, we read our poems at the book launch!

Food for the Future makes Mass Book Award Long List!

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WE SING FROM THE HEART is a Junior Library Guild Gold Selection

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WE SING FROM THE HEART in Publisher’s Weekly

RED COMET PRESS

Red Comet wraps up fall with a bow with The Gift by Oleksandr Shatokhin, which finds Rabbit wondering what could be in the package that lands on top of their burrow; 18 Flowers for Grandma: A Gift of Chai by Alison Goldberg, illus. by Jesse White, the story of how Sadie’s grandmother passes on her love for art and Jewish traditions; and We Sing from the Heart by Mia Wenjen, illus. by Victor Bizar Gomez, profiling Simon Tam who took his fight to trademark the name of his band, The Slants, all the way to the Supreme Court.

We Sing from the Heart: How the Slants® Took Their Fight for Free Speech to the Supreme Court releases Oct. 15, 2024!

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My books:

Amazon / Signed or Inscribed by Me

Food for the Future: Sustainable Farms Around the World

⭐ 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

Amazon / Barefoot Books / Signed or Inscribed by Me

Amazon / Scholastic / Signed or Inscribed by Me

Posted on April 8, 2024 by Mia Wenjen — Leave a comment

A few exciting picture book updates!

Fortune Cookies for Everyone picture book announcement Mia Wenjen

I’m very excited to announce a new picture book Fortune Cookies for Everyone, illustrated by Colleen Kong-Savage. This is my second picture book published by Red Comet Press. Fortune Cookies for Everyone comes out in the Fall of 2025.

Food for the Future is a finalist for the 2023 INDIES Book of the Year Awards!

Food for the Future is a finalist for the 2023 INDIES Book of the Year Awards!

Food for the Future: Sustainable Farms Around the World has made the Green Earth Book Award long list.

Posted on January 22, 2024November 23, 2024 by Mia Wenjen — Leave a comment

Activity Guides for My Picture Books

Here are all the activity guides for my books:

We Sing From the Heart: How The Slants® Took Their Fight for Free Speech to the Supreme Court
Food for the Future: Sustainable Farms Around the World
Sumo Joe
Changing the Game: Asian Pacific American Female Athletes

Junior Library Guild Gold selection
California Eureka! Nonfiction Children’s Book Award
Orbis Pictus Award® for Outstanding Nonfiction for Children

Here is the music video of The Slant’s song, From the Heart. They wrote this song about their battle to trademark their band’s name. Why not start a book presentation off with this short video?

We created a podcast with Dorktales Storytime about Simon Tam.

Rock Band to the Supreme Court! Simon Tam, Hidden Hero of History | Dorktales Storytime Podcast EP99

Free Activity Guide for Dorktales Storytime about Simon Tam. Go here.
Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/simon-tam-hidden-hero-of-history/id1527642350?i=1000673407584
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4MVtVmjHC8CwQcE6SXP821?si=4M055Z3EQSCMdhPbTFe7zw
You can find all the other platforms via the icons on our website: https://jonincharacter.com/simon-tam/

A video version is here:

Simon Tam has many excellent TedTalks:

From ReasonTV: An Asian-American band takes the fight over its name all the way to the Supreme Court:

Food for the Future by Mia Wenjen and Robert Sae-Heng cover reveal

⭐ 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

Food for the Future Teacher’s Activity Guide.

Food for the Future: Sustainable Farms Around the World Music Video

Sumo Joe

Bank Street College’s The Best Children’s Books of the Year

Sumo Joe Teacher’s Guide is on the Lee and Low website.

Sumo Joe craft round-up on PragmaticMom.com.

Sumo Joe easy sumo origami on PragmaticMom.com.

Sumo Joe Virtual or In-Person Class Visits.

Sumo Picture Books on PragmaticMom.com.

Changing the Game: Asian Pacific American Female Athletes Resource Page

Posted on December 3, 2023 by Mia Wenjen — Leave a comment

‘Food for the Future’ made Chicago Public Library’s Best of the Best

'Food for the Future' selected for Chicago Public Library's Best of the Best

Food for the Future is included in Chicago Public Library’s Best of the Best lists!

Food for the Future is on their Best Informational Books for Younger Readers of 2023 list for kids in kindergarten through 3rd grade.

The Best of the Best lists represent the Chicago Public Library’s choices for the year’s most outstanding titles. Thank you so much to the staff at the Chicago Public Libraries for including Food for the Future!

Posted on September 21, 2023December 3, 2023 by Mia Wenjen — Leave a comment

Still Time to order Boxer Baby Battles Bedtime…

Please go here.

Posted on September 13, 2023September 21, 2023 by Mia Wenjen — Leave a comment

Boxer Baby Battles Bedtime is FUNDED!

Thank you to everyone who has supported my Kickstarter picture book, Boxer Baby Battles Bedtime!

It’s funded and there are still seven days to go!

Please go here if you want to check it out.

Posted on August 22, 2023September 13, 2023 by Mia Wenjen — Leave a comment

My New Kickstarter Campaign for picture book BOXER BABY BATTLES BEDTIME!

I’m pre-selling hardcover copies of my newest picture book, Boxer Baby Battles Bedtime! through a Kickstarter campaign that launched today!

Please go here to help bring picture book

Boxer Baby Battles Bedtime! to life …

Boxer Baby Battles Bedtime by Mia Wenjen, illustrated by Kai Gietzen

Dad needs to get Boxer Baby down for her nap but she is not going down without a fight! This funny picture book told in three rounds includes boxing idioms. This picture book also celebrates the unsung heroes — dads who stay home to care for their children. [picture book, ages 3 and up]

Posted on July 24, 2023July 24, 2023 by Mia Wenjen — Leave a comment

Boxer Baby Battles Bedtime Cover Reveal!

I’m thrilled to reveal the cover for my newest picture book, Boxer Baby Battles Bedtime!

Boxer Baby Battles Bedtime by Mia Wenjen, illustrated by Kai Gietzen

And introducing illustrator Kai Gietzen! He is a recent graduate from Rhode Island School of Design. This is his picture book debut. To learn more, please check out his website and Instagram.

And now…

ta da…

Boxer Baby Battles Bedtime Kickstarter

I will be launching a Kickstarter project to bring Boxer Baby Battles Bedtime to life in mid-September with early-release hardcover books. They will be delivered in December. Stay tuned!