Picture Books for Ages 3+

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.

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]

Boxer Baby Battles Bedtime!
By Mia Wenjen, Illustrated by  Kai Gietzen

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