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    • Book Announcement: A Place to Call Home! {and a new title …}
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    • Cover Reveal of my latest picture book … FORTUNE COOKIES FOR EVERYONE!
    • Picture Book Announcement! BARBED WIRE BETWEEN US, illustrated by Violeta Encarnación
    • We Sing From the Heart gets a few stickers!
    • Book Announcement! Postcards from Malcolm X: How Yuri Kochiyama Became a Civil Rights Activist
    • Kirkus Reviews My Newest Picture Book: THE TRAVELING TACO
    • We Sing From the Heart is a Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People Winner!
    • We Sing From the Heart gets a few stickers!
    • WE SING FROM THE HEART wins California Eureka! Nonfiction Children’s Book Award
    • WE SING FROM THE HEART is Orbis Pictus Recommended Book
    • WE SING FROM THE HEART is a Junior Library Guild Gold Selection
    • Dorktales Podcast: Simon Tam, Hidden Hero of History
    • Food for the Future Wins Nautilus Silver Book Award
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    • FOOD FOR THE FUTURE Makes Green Earth Book Award Long List!
    • Food for the Future is a finalist for 2023 INDIES Book of the Year!
    • New! Food for the Future Activity and Discussion Guide!
    • FOOD FOR THE FUTURE is a Junior Library Guild Gold Selection!
    • ‘Food for the Future’ selected for Chicago Public Library’s Best of the Best books
    • Scholastic Purchased CHANGING THE GAME!
    • Starred Review for FOOD FOR THE FUTURE from School Library Journal!
    • Sumo Joe makes Bank Street Best Children’s Books of the Year list!
    • How To Coach Girls wins Silver Award!
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Author: Pragmatic Mom

I am a mom with three kids and a husband living in Newton, MA. I graduated from Harvard University with a degree in HIstory and Science. I went to The Anderson School of Management at UCLA for my M.B.A.My background is entrepreneurial. I started several companies and currently serve on three boards including for my elementary school and preschool. I was a SAHM for nearly 8 years, and went back to work part-time just recently. Now I work almost full time as a WAHM for a consumer electronics start-up in Boston.My blog is my outlet to read children's literature which is my great secret pleasure, and to document any interesting and/or useful information that I acquire as I parent. My kids are quite active and pursue many interests collectively including soccer, gymnastics, rhythm gymnastics, karate (Chung Kook Doh), ice skating, Chinese, Spanish, flute, piano, T-ball, book clubs, and art. In my free time, I have been doing kickboxing, vinyasa yoga, zoomba, and I am trying to learn Spanish as well.Learning about SEO and how to blog has been a really fun enterprise albeit very time consuming. I started a bloggers group that meets weekly called www.coffeeshopbloggers.com. The S.O.S. on SEO. We share our collective frustrations and knowledge from blogging.Now you understand the Type A parent I am...hence the tagline my blogger friends came up for me for my blog:Type A Parenting for the Modern World
ABC Pocket Phonics, apps for autism, http://PragmaticMom.com, PragmaticMom, Pragmatic Mom,

iPad apps for Autistic Kids

Posted on October 26, 2011May 28, 2024 by Pragmatic Mom

The iPad is turning out to be a great communication tool for autistic children. At West Prairie South Elementary School, the iPad was introduced to help non verbal children communicate at the suggestion of their superintendent. The full article by Lainie Steelman is here. Here are some key paragraphs:

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Nurturing a Love of Reading in Your Child

How to Get Your Kid to be a Fanatic Reader

Posted on October 24, 2011May 28, 2024 by Pragmatic Mom

Sorry, moms and dads, but it’s your job — not the schools’ — to find books to get your kids reading and to make sure they read them…and other great advice by author James Patterson on how to get your child to be a voracious reader.

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40 Most Common Chinese Characters Evolution of Chinese Mandarin Characters PragmaticMom

Learning Mandarin Chinese Words, 40 Most Common Characters

Posted on October 21, 2011May 28, 2024 by Pragmatic Mom

This is from my oldest child’s Chinese teacher at school. These are the 40 most common Chinese characters. The chart shows the pronunciation, stroke order, and how the character is used in other, more complicated characters. Try drawing these with a calligraphy brush and a Chinese ink stone.

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How to Get ADHD Kids Reading

4 Tips to Get Kids with ADHD to Read

Posted on October 20, 2011May 28, 2024 by Pragmatic Mom

And what is really cool is that Riordan’s son Haley, now 16 years old, has written his own manuscript longer than his dad’s. Not bad for someone who hated to read so much that he hid under the table. The advice from Rick Riordan to get kids with ADHD to read is below.

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Halloween Picture Books and Chapter Books

Halloween Picture Books and Chapter Books

Posted on October 20, 2011May 28, 2024 by Pragmatic Mom

I’m not one to buy Halloween presents for my kids, but if I did, I’d buy each of them a book from this list. I would, however, pick a Halloween themed books for my children’s book clubs if I were hosting in October. The great thing is that kids, mine at least, like these books year around. Halloween is probably a kids’ favorite holiday!

What are your favorite Halloween themed books? Please share and I’ll add to the list. Thank you!

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Halloween Ghosting: A Tradition in My Town That My Kids LOVE!

Posted on October 19, 2011May 28, 2024 by Pragmatic Mom

Halloween ghosting is a tradition that we do in our neighborhood. My kids love it and it teaches a great lesson about giving versus receiving.

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Best Multicultural Young Adult Books

Best Multicultural YA Books for Teens

Posted on October 17, 2011May 28, 2024 by Pragmatic Mom

I found this on a great blog that I follow called PaperTigers that covers multi cultural kidlit and literacy around the world. They took YALSA’s (Young Adult Library Services Association) has just released their 2012 Best Fiction for Young Adults Nominations list and culled out the multi-cultural books. The books nominated have been published within the past 16 months, are recommended for ages 12 – 18, and meet the criteria of both good quality literature and appealing reading for teens.

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I’m Mia Wenjen!

Mia Wenjen by Jerry Russo
Mia Wenjen
(photo by Jerry Russo)

Hi, I’m Mia Wenjen. Nice to meet you!

I blog about diverse children’s books, co-founded Read Your World on Jan 29, 2026, and write children’s books.

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Mia Wenjen watercolor figure painting

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Fortune Cookies for Everyone (click to purchase)

FORTUNE COOKIES FOR EVERYONE! by Mia Wenjen, illustrated by Colleen Kong-Savage, Published by Red Comet Press

Fortune Cookies for Everyone book trailer

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w9k6aOlMgCc

The Traveling Taco (click to purchase)

Cover Reveal for THE TRAVELING TACO by Mia Wenjen

The Traveling Taco Song created by Daria – World Music for Children

https://youtu.be/KWTuCwbWLXs

Pre-Order Barbed Wire Between Us

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

We Sing From the Heart (click to purchase)

We Sing From the Heart picture book cover reveal of The Slants Simon Tam

Dorktales Storytime Podcast: Simon Tam featured in We Sing From the Heart

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlDdwUZpcNI

FOOD FOR THE FUTURE (click to purchase)

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

Food for the Future Song created by Daria – World Music for Children

https://youtu.be/uTw6y3EjeOA

SUMO JOE (click to purchase)

Sumo Joe cover reveal

CHANGING THE GAME (click to purchase)

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

Boxer Baby Battles Bedtime! (click to purchase)

Cover Reveal: Boxer Baby Battles Bedtime!

I’ll Be at the Newton Children’s Book Festival 2025

Newton Children's Book Festival 2025

I’ll be at hosting a Roundtable at NCTE 2025 Denver

NCTE 2025 Denver Mia Wenjen hosting Roundtable

I’ll be at NCSS DC 2025

NCSS 2025 Denver Mia Wenjen attending

Heim Nest Kid Mattress Exclusive Deal

Heim Nest Kid Mattress
educational toys
educational toys from dhgate stores

Online GED test at Excel

Archives

Categories

The Elusive Full Ride Scholarship (click to purchase)

The Elusive Full Ride Scholarship: An Insider’s Guide

How to Get Kids Reading

  • Multicultural Books for Children: 60+ Book Lists
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  • Summer Reading Lists for Kids By Grade
  • Summer Reading Lists for Middle School Kids

Purchase Read Your World Merch

LGBTQIA+ Books Save Lives Merch.

Buy it here!

HOW TO COACH GIRLS book trailer by Mia Wenjen & Alison Foley

https://youtu.be/j74M0bBxrGg

HOW TO COACH GIRLS (click to purchase)

How To Coach Girls by Mia Wenjen and Alison Foley

ebook Version has 3 bonus chapters (click to purchase)

How To Coach Girls ebook

My Websites

  • How To Coach Girls
  • I Love Newton
  • Mia Wenjen (My New Author Website)

The Traveling Taco Book Trailer

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zf4tp9lffG0

We Sing From the Heart book trailer

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJNcJd8dEPU

Recent Posts

  • WE SING FROM THE HEART at the 2025 NCTE Book Awards Luncheon January 12, 2026
  • 2026 Read Your World Virtual Party! January 9, 2026
  • Tracy Slater’s Together in Manzanar Book Launch January 7, 2026
  • BARBED WIRED BETWEEN US: Kirkus The Most Anticipated Children’s Books of Spring 2026 January 5, 2026
  • FREE Diverse Books from Read Your World – Sign Up Ends Soon! December 22, 2025
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