My Books

A Junior Library Guild
Gold Selection.

Fortune Cookies for Everyone! (Smithsonian):
The Surprising Story of the Tasty Treat We Love to Eat.
by Mia Wenjen, illustrated by Colleen Kong-Savage

An investigative picture book that cracks the cookie open to discover what is known about the origins of everyone’s favorite crunchy after-dinner treat – a collaboration with the Smithsonian Institution.

Grandma Miyako hosts her grandchildren for a takeout meal. Of course, at the end of the meal, she hands out the fortune cookies and begins to share the story of this popular treat with the attentive children as they munch on them. She claims she knew the true inventor of the fortune cookie, but the history is not so clear. Using “fortunes” as headings, each section of the book delivers an episode in the unusual history of the fortune cookie and lays out the great debate about where and when they were first made. 

Signed pre-orders are available at the link below.

Barbed Wire Between Us
By Mia Wenjen, illustrated by Violeta Encarnación

A powerful reverso poem about two girls separated by barbed wire and 80 years of history.

Barbed Wire Between Us tells two deeply resonant stories across time. It begins with a Japanese American girl sent to an internment camp in Oklahoma during World War II. Read in reverse, it reveals the journey of a Latina girl detained in the very same camp decades later, during the U.S. policy of migrant family separation. Harrowing and emotionally charged, this poetic narrative compels us to confront a haunting question: What have we truly learned in the past 80 years about how we treat the most vulnerable among us? With haunting symmetry and striking parallels, Barbed Wire Between Us is a moving meditation on justice, memory, and the echoes of history that still shape our present.

Signed pre-orders will be available soon at the link below .

Reading Rockets’ Summer Reading Guide 2025

The Traveling Taco:
The Amazing and Surprising Journey of Many of Your Favorite Foods
by Mia Wenjen, illustrated by Kimberlie Clinthorne-Wong

A mouthwatering 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. [picture book, ages 5 and up]

AWARDS

We Sing From the Heart:
How The Slants® Took Their Fight for Free Speech to the Supreme Court.
by Mia Wenjen, illustrated by Victor Bizar Gómez 

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. [picture book, ages 8 and up]

Boxer Baby Battles Bedtime!

Using figurative language, Boxer Baby Battles Bedtime shows how many common idioms have boxing origins.

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?

Picture Book ages 3+

AWARDS

Food for the Future:
Sustainable Farms Around the World
by Mia Wenjen, illustrated by Robert Sae-Heng 

“An exciting overview of traditional and innovative farming techniques that will warrant repeated reading, for casual browsing or classroom use.” ⭐ starred review from School Library Journal.

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 practices, sustainable farming, and more.

A Bank Street College’s Best Children’s Book of the Year selection

Sumo Joe
by Mia Wenjen, illustrated by Nat Iwata

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?

On Saturday mornings, Sumo Joe is a gentle big brother to his little sister. But on Saturday afternoons, he and his friends are sumo wrestlers! They tie on makeshift mawashi belts, practice drills like teppo, and compete in their homemade dohyo ring. They even observe sumo’s ultimate rule: no girls allowed! But when Sumo Joe’s little sister wants to join in the fun, Sumo Joe is torn between the two things he’s best at: sumo, and being a big brother.

Fists, feet, and martial art forms collide in this sweet yet spirited rhyming story by author Mia Wenjen and illustrator Nat Iwata.

Picture book, for ages 4 and up

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.

Changing the Game:
Asian Pacific American Female Athletes
by Mia Wenjen

Meet 18 Asian Pacific American female athletes from yesterday and today.

They represent a range of sports and ethnicities: Eun Jung “EJ” Lee Ok (Korean American/basketball), Chloe Kim  (Korean American/snowboarding), Miki Gorman (Japanese American/marathon), Victoria Manalo Draves (Filipino & European American/diver), Evelyn Tokue Kawamoto-Konno (Japanese American/swimming), Julie Chu (Chinese & Puerto Rican American/hockey), Natasha “Tasha” Kai (Filipino, Hawaiian, Chinese & European American/soccer), Michelle Wie (Korean American/golf), Kristi Yamaguchi (Japanese American/figure skating), Amy Chow (Chinese American/gymnastics),  Anona Naone Napoleon (Native Hawaiian/surfing), Michelle Waterson (Thai & European American/Mixed Martial Arts), Liane Lissa Sato (Japanese American/volleyball), Catherine Mai-Lan Fox (Vietnamese & European American/swimming), Megan Khang (Hmong American/golf ), Mohini Bhardwaj (Indian & Russian American/gymnastics), and  Naomi Osaka (Japanese & Haitian/tennis).

Asian Pacific American Heroes
by Mia Wenjen

Meet 18 Asian Pacific American leaders from yesterday and today! 

From musician Bruno Mars and Olympian Chloe Kim to chef Niki Nakayama, these real­life heroes inspire us to learn about Asian Pacific American history, language, and culture.  Illustrated with photos. [middle grade picture book, for ages 8 and up] Available at Scholastic bookfairs, flyers, and website.

The Elusive Full Ride Scholarship
by Alison Foley and Mia Wenjen

For those looking to go to college on a sports scholarship, the recruiting process can be both daunting and overwhelming. The Elusive Full Ride Scholarship: An Insider’s Guide breaks down the process step-by-step to help parents and athletes navigate the system and find the right college fit.

A Silver Award in the 31st Annual IBPA Benjamin Franklin Awards™

How to Coach Girls
by Mia Wenjen and Alison Foley

How to Coach Girls provides the most comprehensive guide available to the many issues associated with coaching girls’ teams across the spectrum of sports, from soccer to lacrosse, field hockey to softball. Volunteer parents and experienced coaches alike will find invaluable advice on the process of making a successful team, encouraging girls to stay in sports beyond the middle school year.

The IBPA Benjamin Franklin Awards™, which include over fifty categories recognizing excellence in book editorial and design, are regarded as one of the highest national honors for independent publishers.
The Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA) is a not-for-profit membership organization serving and leading the independent publishing community through advocacy, education, and tools for success. With over 3,000 members, IBPA is the largest publishing trade association in the U.S. How To Coach Girls won in the Sports & Recreation category.

BEST #OWNVOICES CHILDREN’S BOOKS:
My Favorite Diversity Books for Kids Ages 1-12
By Mia Wenjen

While change is a long time coming, it starts with a single book.

With a determination to change the world, one book at a time, Wenjen created BEST #OWNVOICES CHILDREN’S BOOKS: My Favorite Diversity Books for Kids Ages 1-12 as a way to highlight books written by authors who share the same marginalized identity as the characters in their books.

Inside the pages, readers, parents, caregivers, educators, and librarians will find extensive book recommendations for Native American Heritage Month #OwnVoices, Muslim #OwnVoices, Holocaust #OwnVoices, African American #OwnVoices, Asian American #OwnVoices, Latinx #OwnVoices, LGBTQ #OwnVoices, Sensory Issues #OwnVoices and much more.

Read Your World:
A Guide to Multicultural Children’s Books for Parents and Educators
Edited by Mia Wenjen

Read Your World: A Guide to Multicultural Children’s Books for Parents and Educators brings together booklists from blogging and author-contributors who have participated in Multicultural Children’s Book Day.

Each list is created around a topic or theme. Themes include Diversity as Every Day, Africa, Antarctica, Australia, Asia, Middle East, South America, World Religion, LGBT, Special Needs, Latin America, Asian American, African American, and much more.