Sumo Joe is the debut picture book by Mia Wenjen and illustrator Nat Iwata.
It was such an honor to be part of The Collaborative hosted by educators Dr. Sheka Houston and Tammy Taylor in celebration of National Family Literacy Night. I was joined by author Rudy Ruiz. I loved learning about Rudy Ruiz’s newest book, The Resurrection of Fulgencio Ramirez: A Novel. You can watch it here:…
Sometimes you just gotta ask! (Me asking): Please consider my SUMO JOE picture book … Hello Japanese American National Museum store manager, My name is Mia Wenjen and I’m the author of a rhyming picture book SUMO JOE. I am half Japanese American and wrote it to show that sumo is not a sport…
Thank you so much to Matthew Winner for having us on The Children’s Book Podcast: Mia Wenjen and Nat Iwata share SUMO JOE on The Children’s Book Podcast. “SUMO JOE is a story told in rhyme about a boy and his friends upholding a centuries-old tradition considered through a modern lens. It’s the first picture…
I had so fun giving a virtual author visit to a 4th grade elementary school in Texas. This is my free SUMO JOE author visit in which I tell the origin story of my debut picture book and detail the process of how a picture book gets made from idea to revision to illustration to…
Please join Amy Tai and me for our third Multicultural Children’s Book Club. We host a FREE multicultural children’s picture book virtual book club on the first Thursday of every month from 7 pm to 8 pm EST. July’s event will be held on July 1st and we are celebrating martial arts at the Tokyo…
I was thrilled to learn from my publisher, Lee & Low, that Sumo Joe is on its second printing! Thank you to everyone who has supported my debut picture book! Hi Mia, Kandace may have already let you know but SUMO JOE is actually now in its second printing! That means, however, that we will…
Thank you to Newton’s Cultural Development Department has teamed up and Newton Community Pride to promote springtime fun with Family Fun Day. Thank you also to Story Starters who invited me to join their storytime event for Newton’s Family Fun Day 2021. Story Starters equips families with strategies to raise kids with anti-racist values and…