Mia Wenjen
Publications
Barbed Wire Between Us, illustrated by Violeta Encarnación // Starred Review from Kirkus, Starred Review from School Library Journal, Kirkus: The Most Anticipated Children’s Books of Spring 2026
We Sing From the Heart, illustrated by Victor Bizar Gomez // ALSC Notable Children’s Book, 2025 Carter G. Woodson Book Award Middle Level Honoree, Orbis Pictus Recommended Book for Outstanding Nonfiction for Children, California Eureka Non-Fiction Award Honor Book, Junior Library Guild Gold Selection, Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People Winner (from National Council for the Social Studies and Children’s Book Council)
The Traveling Taco, illustrated by Kimberlie Clinthorne-Wong // California Eureka Non-Fiction Silver Award, Reading Rockets’; Summer Reading Guide 2025
About Mia
Mia Wenjen blogs at PragmaticMom.com. She is the President and Co-Founder ReadYourWorld.org, a nonprofit that puts diverse children’s books into the hands of readers. Her picture books include The Traveling Taco, We Sing From the Heart, and Fortune Cookies for Everyone published by Red Comet Press; Food for the Future, published by Barefoot Books; and Sumo Joe, published by Lee and Low.
Honors for her books include: ALSC Notable Children’s Book, Carter G. Woodson Book Award Honoree, Orbis Pictus Recommended Book for Outstanding Nonfiction for Children, Massachusetts Book Award Long List, Julia Ward Howe Prize for Children’s Literature Winner, California Eureka Non-Fiction Award Honor Book, Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People Winner, Bank Street Best Children’s Books of the Year, and Junior Library Guild Gold Selection.
To learn more, check out her website, MiaWenjen.com, and follow her on social media @pragmaticmom.