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    • Origami French Fries: Activity for THE TRAVELING TACO
    • Book Announcement: A Place to Call Home! {and a new title …}
    • FOOD FOR THE FUTURE makes Sunshine State Young Readers Award Orange Blossom List for Nonfiction!
    • 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
    • Food for the Future makes Mass Book Award Long List!
    • 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!
    • Posts on My Books
  • My Book Events
    • My Book Events
    • I’m Signing Books at ALA 2025 in Philly!
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My Book Events

Boxer Baby NewHeader

I’m signing books at ALA! Details here.

I'm signing books at ALA 2025

—-

I’m signing books at NCTE and NCSS.

NCTE’s Heart, Hope, and Humanity Conference will be held from November 21-24, 2024 at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center (BCEC) on 415 Summer Street which is South Boston (a.k.a. “Southie”).

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

I will be giving away and signing WE SING FROM THE HEART at the Publisher Spotlight Booth, Number 504 on Friday, November 22, 2024. 

  • MIA WENJEN, We Sing from the Heart – 2:00-2:50 pm

I am also on a panel at NCTE!

My NCTE Panel: How Stories Can Help Students Feel Brave and Take Risks

 

I will also be giving away and signing FOOD FOR THE FUTURE at the Barefoot Books Booth on Sunday, November 25th at 11 am.

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

 


 

NCSS will be held from November 22 -24 at the Hynes Convention Center in Back Bay Boston at 900 Boylston Street.

I will also be giving away and signing WE SING FROM THE HEART at the Publisher Spotlight Booth, Number 500 on Saturday, November 23, 2024. 

  • MIA WENJEN, We Sing from the Heart – 10:00-10:50 am

 


I’m thrilled to announce that Read Your World and the New Art Center are co-creating the inaugural Newton Children’s Book Festival in Newtonville, MA. We hope that you can join us in December!

 

Announcing the Inaugural Newton Children's Book Festival!

 


 

I’ll be participating in the Louisville Book Festival at the Kentucky International Convention Center on Friday, October 18, and Saturday, October 19!

I'll be at Louisville Book Festival!


 

I had so much fun at the Chappaqua Children’s Book Festival 2024! Thank you for inviting me!

 


 

This was so much fun! Thank you to illustrator and children’s singer Robert Zammarchi for organizing and inviting me!

 

Join me for Story and Song Festival in Millis MA!


 

I did two book signings at the upcoming American Library Association (ALA) Conference in San Diego.

I'm Signing Books at ALA San Diego!

 

On Saturday, June 29th, I’ll be signing Food for the Future: Sustainable Farms Around the World at 11:00 am.

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

 

On Sunday, June 20th, I’ll be signing We Sing From the Heart: How the Slants® Took Their Fight for Free Speech to the Supreme Court at 11:00 am.

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

Both book signings will be at Publisher Spotlight, Booth #1659

 


 

Please join Andrew Hacket and Me

Newtonville Books

10 Langley Rd

Newton, MA 02459

Storytime Book Launch

Sunday, May 19th

11:00 am

 

Story Time with Mia Wenjen and Andrew Hacket

—-

I am thrilled to be part of The Writers Loft Annual Literary Extravaganza! We are hosting a book sale and signing, including the release of the latest poetry anthology, Gnomes and Ungnomes: Poems of Hidden Creatures!

Please join us on Saturday, December 2nd from 10 am to 3 pm at The Writers Loft in Hudson, MA!

 

The Writers Loft

43 Broad St

Hudson, MA 01749

 


I’m on a Panel at NCTE!

NCTE 2023 Food Picture Book Panel

Food: The Universal Language that Connects Us All

11/17/2023

11:00 AM – 12:15 PM EST

Room: D-281/282

Our panel:

Josh Funk is a software engineer and the author of books like the Lady Pancake & Sir French Toast series, the It’s Not a Fairy Tale series, the How to Code with Pearl and Pascal series, Dear Dragon, Dear Unicorn, and more. Since the fall of 2015, he has visited (or virtually visited) over 700 schools and libraries around the world.

Jenny Seiler is an educator, secondary ELA content coordinator, and library coordinator in Colorado. She has participated in children’s literature committees and has presented at local, state, and national conferences.

Mia Wenjen is the author of Food for the Future: Sustainable Farms Around the World, Sumo Joe, and more. She blogs on parenting, children’s books, and education at PragmaticMom.com and is the co-creator of Multicultural Children’s Book Day.

Lisa Wyzlic is the debut picture book author of Harold the Iceberg Melts Down about the importance of friendship and self-care, perfect for any young reader worried about their planet’s future.

M.O. Yuksel is the award-winning author of picture books In My Mosque (ALA Notable Book), and One Wish: Fatima al-Fihri and the World’s Oldest University (NCTE Orbis Pictus Recommended 2022). Her forthcoming books include Ramadan Kareem, and Sami’s Special Gift: An Eid Al-Adha Story.

2023 NCTE ANNUAL CONVENTION
NOVEMBER 16–19, 2023 • COLUMBUS, OH

 


 

Maria Gianferrari and I will be at Greentail Table

September 23, 2023

10:15 am

 

Greentail Table

343 Watertown St

Newton, MA 02458

We will be reading and chatting about our farm books, Thank A Farmer and Food for the Future: Sustainable Farms Around the World!

For parking—there is a public lot behind Moldova Restaurant (across the street, the lot is off of Chapel/Watertown St.), where you can park for free for 3 hours.

—-

I’ll be at the Chappaqua Book Festival

September 30, 2023

10 am to 4 pm

Chappaqua Train Station

 

I'll Be at Chappaqua Book Festival!

—-

I’m Co-Hosting a Boston Authors Club Meet and Greet

Boston Authors Club

Thursday, October 26, 2023

7 pm to 9 pm

 

Meet and Greet with Open Mike

Blue Bunny Bookstore

577 High Street

Dedham, MA

 

Boston Authors Club Meet and Greet at The Blue Bunny Bookstore

—

Maria Gianferrari and I will be at Newtonville Books

We will be reading and chatting about our farm books, Thank a Farmer and Food for the Future: Sustainable Farms Around the World.

November 4, 2023

11:00 am

 

Newtonville Books

10 Langley Rd

Newton, MA 02459

 

This might shift to Newton Community Farms. Stay Tuned!


 

—–

I’m at More Than Words bookstore in Boston

More Than Words

242 E. Berkeley Street | Boston, MA 02118

Saturday, November 25 at 2:00 pm

——-

I’m part of the New England Biography series

 

Telling the Untold Stories for Children: Biographies for Kids and Why They Matter

Thursday

May 2, 2024

 

Massachusetts Historical Society

1154 Boylston St

Boston, MA 02215

Julie Dobrow, Tufts University, Moderator
Ray Anthony Shepard
Heather Lang

Biography can be a powerful vehicle for telling some of the untold and under-told stories of people’s lives. This may be especially true for children, who are forming their ideas about what matters, and who matters, in part through the books they read.

The New England Biography series is proud to convene a conversation with two well-known children’s writers who focus on biographies of underrepresented groups. Ray Anthony Shepard, whose award-winning books for teens include biographies of well-known and relatively unknown Black Americans, and Heather Lang, whose biographies for young readers focus on amazing but mostly unfamiliar women, will discuss their work, what biographies for children can do, and why it’s important to be writing for children in these times when some communities struggle over control of school curricula, public library holdings, and controversies about whether there are books that should be banned.

 


 

I’ll be presenting at the ALA Conference!

Name of Session: Sustainable Values in Children’s Literature

Sunday, June 25, 2023

1:30 PM – 2:20 PM

Exhibit Hall – Diversity in Publishing Stage (Booth 5240)

 

ALA Annual Conference Chicago 2023 I'm Speaking

 


 

If you are in Chicago for the ALA, Barefoot Books would like to invite you to an evening meet-up with me and Shirin Shamsi (Zahra’s Blessing) on Saturday, June 24th. Please email carolyn.wilkins@barefootbooks.com to RSVP.

We would LOVE to include Barefoot Booksellers who can make it (including out-of-towners and anyone interested in the program)!

Food for the Future Barefoot Books Spring Summer 2023 Collection

 


 

Josh Funk and Mia Wenjen at Hummingbird Books

Josh Funk and I will be reading our books for

Storytime at Hummingbird Books

 

55 Boylston St Suite 5510

 Chestnut Hill, MA

in The Street mall

Sunday, May 28th

11:00 am

Josh Funk

I will be celebrating my book birthday for Food for the Future: Sustainable Farms Around the World. Josh will be reading his newest picture book, My Pet Feet.

We hope to see you there!

 


 

If you are going to the ALA conference in Chicago in June, please come see me! I’ll be speaking on Sunday.

 

My co-author, Alison Foley, will be featured on Throw Big Throw Far Podcast on Friday, May 29, 2020 at 10:00 AM with Joe Frontier to talk about The Elusive Full Ride Scholarship: An Insider’s Guide.

Throw Big Throw Far Podcast

Throw Big Throw Far Podcast is for throwers and coaches who want to get better.

—-

This week on Over The Ball with Kevin Flynn, Grayle and Sam speak with my co-author Alison Foley, former Boston College women’s head coach and founder of Foley Athletic Advising, about her experience in the world of soccer and her new book The Elusive Full Ride Scholarship: An Insider’s Guide, co-authored by Mia Wenjen.

Listen to them on the Over the Ball Podcast here.

Over the Ball Podcast with Kevin Flynn

———

My co-author Alison Foley will be on Over the Ball podcast with Kevin Flynn on Friday, May 22 at 10 am EST.

———

My co-author, Alison Foley will be on Tackling College Sports podcast with Chris LeGates on Thursday, May 14th at 11 am EST.https://www.tacklingcollegesports.com/

———-

Chappaqua Children's Book Festival October 5th, 2019I will be at the Chappaqua Children’s Book Festival on October 5th from 10 a.m to 4 p.m. at

Robert E. Bell Middle School

50 Senter St

Chappaqua, NY 10514

with Sumo Joe and How To Coach Girls.

How To Coach Girls book events are listed here.

Our next event for How To Coach Girls is at  Notre Dame Academy in Hingham, Massachusetts.

Notre Dame Academy

We will be presenting to the Notre Dame Academy to athletes, parents, and coaches. They have 300+ coaches and 1,900+ players in their club, ages pre-K through high school.   They are a town-based organization.

Wednesday, August 28,  2019

5:30 pm (we will be speaking from 6:00 pm to 6:30 pm)

Notre Dame Academy

1073 Main Street
Hingham, MA 02043

——–

I presented at:

1. New England SCBWI 2019

I presented a workshop on Thinking Like an Entrepreneur for Writers

New England SCBWI 2019

2. The Writers’ Loft

Workshop on Thinking Like an Entrepreneur for Writers

The Writers' Loft Workshop on Thinking Like an Entrepreneur for Writers

3. Family Community Literacy Night Presentation at Plymouth Community Intermediate School

My presentation was on Multicultural Children’s Book Day and all the different ways readers can get free diversity books from our programs.

Family Community Literacy Night Presentation on Multicultural Children’s Book Day

 

 

Follow PragmaticMom’s board Multicultural Books for Kids on Pinterest.

Follow PragmaticMom’s board Children’s Book Activities on Pinterest.

 

My books:

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

We Sing from the Heart: How the Slants®  Took Their Fight for Free Speech to the Supreme Court

  • Junior Library Guild Gold selection

 Amazon / Signed or Inscribed by Me

Cover Reveal: Boxer Baby Battles Bedtime!Amazon / Signed or Inscribed by Me

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

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

cover for Sumo JoeChanging the Game: Asian Pacific American Female Athletes by Mia WenjenAmazon / Scholastic / Signed or Inscribed by Me

The Elusive Full Ride Scholarship: An Insider’s Guide

How To Coach Girls by Mia Wenjen and Alison FoleyAsian Pacific American Heroes

Looking for something? Search here.

I’m Mia Wenjen!

Mia Wenjen Pragmatic Mom

Hi, I’m Mia Wenjen. Nice to meet you!

I blog excessively about diverse children’s books (picture books through middle grade). I am also the co-founder of Read Your World Celebrates Multicultural Children’s Book Day on Jan 25, 2024, our 11th year!

I’d love to chat with you. Let’s connect! PragmaticMomBlog (at) gmail (dot) com or through my social media handles.

Free Blog Updates in your Inbox (RSS feed)

Monthly Newsletter with Subscriber Only Giveaways in your Inbox

My Linktree (click for my links & socials)

my linktree

My Websites

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

Camp Cody: Overnight Camp in New Hampshire

Read Your World LGBTQIA+ Books Save Lives Merch!

https://www.pragmaticmom.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Read-Your-World-FINAL-Merchandise-Video.mp4

Purchase Read Your World Merch

LGBTQIA+ Books Save Lives Merch.

Buy it here!

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Find Children's Books

Newton Children’s Book Festival 2025

Newton Children's Book Festival 2025

Get My Books Signed or Inscribed through my shop (click to purchase)

Mia Wenjen signed books

Boxer Baby Battles Bedtime! (click to purchase)

Cover Reveal: Boxer Baby Battles Bedtime!

We Sing From the Heart (click to pre-order)

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

FOOD FOR THE FUTURE (click to purchase)

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

CHANGING THE GAME (click to purchase)

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

SUMO JOE (click to purchase)

Sumo Joe cover reveal

Asian Pacific American Heroes (click to purchase)

Asian Pacific American Heroes by Mia Wenjen

GNOMES & UNGNOMES: Poems of Hidden Creatures // I have 3 haiku poems (click to purchase)

GNOMES & UNGNOMES: Poems of Hidden Creatures 3 haiku by Mia Wenjen
Read Your World is Multicultural Children's Book Day

ClothingRIC- A Premium Coupon Website!

ThingsFromMars- The Wondrous World of Wacky Gift Products!

How to Get Kids Reading

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

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The Elusive Full Ride Scholarship (click to purchase)

The Elusive Full Ride Scholarship: An Insider’s Guide

HOW TO COACH GIRLS (click to purchase)

How To Coach Girls silver award winner

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I’ll be sharing WHAT I WISH I KNEW BEFORE I STARTED MY KICKSTARTER CAMPAIGN

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

https://youtu.be/j74M0bBxrGg

Recent Posts

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  • 7 Interfaith Picture Books & GIVEAWAY! June 9, 2025
  • Read Your World Summer Flash Sale! June 6, 2025
  • I’m Signing Books at ALA 2025 in Philly! June 4, 2025
  • Food for the Future: Half Moon Miracle in the Sahal June 2, 2025

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