Mia Wenjen – författare

An American Library Association Notable Children's Book Junior Library Guild Gold SelectionCalifornia Eureka Non-Fiction Award Honor BookNCTE Orbis Pictus Award Recommended BookA compelling account of Simon Tam’s fight for free speech that ended with a landmark Supreme Court decision Music is a way to transcend cultures and divides. Simon Tam used his band’s name, The Slants®, to make a powerful statement that racist insults could no longer be hurtful to Asian Americans. But then the U.S. Trade and Patent Office tries to stop him. In his eight-year battle to win trademark protection, Simon would go all the way to the Supreme Court in a landmark case to rout out structural racism in our government systems. Mia Wenjen takes us back to Simon’s early days and the formation of the band, to the long battle to claim the name they chose to use. We learn of his motivations and the years-long struggle that leads ultimately to the Supreme Court of the United States. Told using lyrics from the band’s hit song about their trademark fight, this compelling story will keep readers riveted until the dramatic ending. We Sing from the Heart gives background and context to the significance of Simon’s quest, not just for him and his band, but for free speech rights for us all. Newcomer to children’s books, Victor Bizar Gómez, channels the indie music world with dynamic artwork that compliments the storytelling and is sure to draw in readers with his exciting graphic approach.

A moving portrait of Yuri Kochiyama—an ordinary woman who became an extraordinary activist—and her bond with Malcolm XWhen Japanese American activist Yuri Kochiyama shook Malcolm X’s hand at a courthouse in 1963, it sparked a transformative friendship built on justice, solidarity, and hope. In Postcards from Malcolm X, Mia Wenjen and illustrator Keith Henry Brown trace Kochiyama’s remarkable journey from a small-town girl in California to a fearless advocate for human rights. Her experiences—her father’s death at the hands of the FBI, her family’s internment during World War II, and her work with Japanese American soldiers—shaped a life of activism that connected her to Harlem’s civil rights struggle and, ultimately, to Malcolm X himself. Through accessible, narrative storytelling and evocative art, this book introduces readers to an unsung hero of the civil rights movement and to the extraordinary friendship between two leaders from different communities, bound by a shared vision of equality. Featuring original postcards from Malcolm X, extensive back matter, and a detailed timeline, this is both a powerful history and an inspiring call to action for young readers.

​● California Reading Association Silver Award Winner​● A 2026 Notable Social Studies Trade Books Award WinnerA mouthwatering exploration of the history of kids’ favorite foods from around the worldFrom pizza to pasta and ice cream to French fries, some of our favorite foods have a surprising history, and many of them have traveled far from where they originated!Did you know many well-known dishes are food immigrants? The Al Pastor Taco traveled from Lebanon to Puebla, Mexico... French fries originated in Belgium... And pasta arrived in Italy long before Marco Polo visited China.This fascinating nonfiction book featuring rhyming text takes the reader on travels around the world to celebrate foods, their history, and surprising origins. Join Mia Wenjen for a fact-packed journey of discovery that will make your mouth water as you travel the unexpected road of some of our favorite foods.

​● A Junior Library Guild Gold Selection● A 2026 Notable Social Studies Trade Books Award Winner● California Reading Association Gold Award WinnerAn investigative picture book which cracks the cookie open to discover what is known about the origins of everyone’s favorite crunchy after-dinner treat - a collaboration with the Smithsonian InstitutionGrandma Miyako hosts her grandchildren for a takeout meal. Of course, at the end of the meal, she hands out the fortune cookies and begins to share the story of this popular treat with the attentive children as they munch on them. She claims to know the true inventor of the fortune cookie, but the history is not entirely clear. Using "fortunes" as headings, each section of the book delivers an episode in the unusual history of the fortune cookie and lays out the great debate about where and when they were first made. California was certainly the location, but in which city was the original baker located? This picture book looks inside these crunchy, biscuity treats to reveal the cultural origins and locations of the creators. Along the way, we discover some surprising history regarding this delicious edible delight, including a rivalry between bakers that remains somewhat unresolved today. Fortune Cookies for All is a compelling mystery featuring US history—the good, the bad, and the ugly—in a single bite. But most of all, it celebrates immigrants and their pursuit of the American dream.

A breathtaking reverso poem about two girls—separated by barbed wire, connected across generations.⭐ Starred review from Kirkus⭐ Starred review from Publishers Weekly⭐ Starred review from School Library JournalA Kirkus Most Anticipated Children's Book of Spring 2026In Barbed Wire Between Us, a single poem holds two lives, separated by decades yet bound by the same stretch of barbed wire.Read forward, a Japanese American girl is uprooted and sent to an incarceration camp during World War II, her world reduced to dust, distance, and longing. Read in reverse, and the poem transforms: now a Latina girl stands in that same place, detained generations later, her story echoing across time.With language as spare as it is powerful, Mia Wenjen shapes a reverso poem that reveals how history can fold in on itself—how loss, resilience, and hope repeat in new forms. Violeta Encarnación’s evocative artwork deepens the emotional landscape, illuminating both the quiet tenderness and the stark realities of life behind the wire.Together, they create a book that reads like a mirror held up to the past—and the present.A luminous and unflinching meditation on memory, injustice, and the fragile promise of belonging, Barbed Wire Between Us lingers long after the final line—asking not only what happened, but what we choose to see, and what we dare to change.

★ “An exciting overview of traditional and innovative farming techniques that will warrant repeated reading, for casual browsing or classroom use” – School Library JournalTake a trip around the world to discover how eco-friendly farms are changing the future of food! From rooftop gardens in bustling cities to underwater farms beneath the waves, explore the many innovative ways people are growing food sustainably to combat climate change. Highlights sustainable farming practices around the world Supports new vocabulary learning with definitions on each spread Endnotes further explore the farming practices of all the countries featured

★ “An exciting overview of traditional and innovative farming techniques that will warrant repeated reading, for casual browsing or classroom use” – School Library JournalTake a trip around the world to discover how eco-friendly farms are changing the future of food! From rooftop gardens in bustling cities to underwater farms beneath the waves, explore the many innovative ways people are growing food sustainably to combat climate change. Highlights sustainable farming practices around the world Supports new vocabulary learning with definitions on each spread Endnotes further explore the farming practices of all the countries featured

Travel around the world and discover some of the most fascinating homes, how they were built and what exactly makes them sustainable. Told through a combination of poetry and expository text–alongside vibrant art–this will engage readers of all ages and inspire them to think environmentally about their own home and community.