Sumo Joe is the debut picture book by Mia Wenjen and illustrator Nat Iwata.
I was thrilled to do a Skype author visit with 120 kindergartners! They were well prepared having read the story ahead of time. They also came up with questions that the Media Specialist had collected ahead of time. For such a young group, the teachers asked for a 20 minutes visit. The kids were great…
I’m grateful that my mother was able to read my debut picture book. My mother was always supportive of everything we did and when my sister and I started writing and publishing books, she would make a point of purchasing five copies. At the time, she was living in an Independent Living facility so she…
It was such a pleasure to speak at UMass Boston Asian American Studies class recently, taught by Dr. MinJin Kim. My thanks to Priya Sonal who found me on social media. She wrote to me: Hello Ms Mia, I saw your recent post on Instagram, My heart felt sorry for you and your family’s…
I’m excited that Sumo Joe has been reviewed by BookList as well as Publisher’s Weekly and Kirkus Reviews! Booklist Online Exclusive: May 24, 2019 Sumo Joe. By Mia Wenjen. Illus. by Nat Iwata 2019. 40p. Lee & Low, $18.95 (9781620148020). Gr. 1–3 Looking suitably round and solid in Iwata’s simply drawn domestic scenes, gentle Joe…
NESCBWI Springfield May 2019. It all started with a children’s book writing class at my local high school community ed taught by Margo Lemieux. This has let to my first SCBWI conference … as a presenter! Here are some highlights of an amazing weekend: Lisa Yee’s revision workshop was a master class on revising AND…
I can’t believe that Sumo Joe is releasing today! It feels like I have been talking about Sumo Joe for years and now it’s finally real! Thank you to everyone who has supported me along this journey including authors who have kindly covered Sumo Joe on their blogs: Caroline Starr Rose: Classroom Connections: Sumo Joe…
Sumo Joe was reviewed in Publishers Weekly! Sumo Joe Mia Wenjen, illus. by Nat Iwata. Lee & Low, $18.95 (40p) ISBN 978-1-62014-802-0 A sister eagerly wakes her big yet gentle older brother, “Sumo Joe.” As the girl leaves, Joe welcomes two friends to “practice sumo!” in “the ring” (pillows in a circle), each wrapped in…