Babies don’t like naps, it’s true, but today’s baby might just win a TKO!

Mia Wenjen has visited my blog before.  She blogs about parenting, children’s books, and education at PragmaticMom.com and is the co-creator of Read Your World celebrating Multicultural Children’s Book Day, a non-profit celebrating diversity in children’s books.  She has written several picture books, middle grades, and co-written several anthologies.  She is the co-founder of Aquent, the world’s largest company staffing creative, digital, and marketing talent with 37 offices around the world. She lives in Boston with her husband, and three kids. You can learn more about her at her website or follow her on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook.

BOXER BABY BATTLES BEDTIME is a hilarious riff on the bedtime struggles every parent faces when trying to put down young kiddos for a nap.  Here we see the brilliant mashup of boxing, babies, and fighting sleep taken to funny extremes that work oh so well!  Throw in a little word play and this book, let alone this baby, is no lightweight.  It’s a true contender to capture your interest.

Welcome back Mia!

Me: I love Eifrig Publishing’s mission statement at the front of the book.  It fits perfectly with some of your own mission statement!  How did you manage to get a book published with them?  Did you contact them or did they contact you?

Mia: My agent sent them my picture book manuscript and I think it resonated with the acquisitions editor, Jason Gruhl, because he also boxes. 

Me: I love the idea of a boxer baby who is fighting bedtime.  It’s a perfect mashup!  What gave you that idea?

Mia: It came to me in parts. First, I wanted to write a picture book that shows how many well-known idioms have boxing origins. Then, I thought of how to tell that story in three rounds. My youngest child lost his nap by age 2. I wanted to show a stay-at-home dad because my husband stayed home with our oldest and I didn’t see many books that depicted this unsung hero. Finally, I wanted to add in our family Golden Retriever who passed away from cancer at age 11.5 a few years ago. So, it took a while to get there, but it all came together eventually!

Me: You mention in your “Note from the Author” that the father in the book was inspired by the Filipino-American boxer, Nonito “the Filipino Flash” Donaire.  How did you learn about him?

Mia: I saw a boxer in an episode of the Rockford Files when I was in elementary school when he visited a boxing gym and the boxer was hitting the speed bag. I always wanted to hit the speed bag like that so when I finally took up boxing 12 years ago, I asked my trainer how to use the bag. He showed me the fundamentals, but I wanted to see how a boxer would use it. I found Manny Pacquiao that way, and then when I googled “Fastest Hands Boxing,” I found Nonito Donaire. He was very similar to Manny in that he was also Filipino from the same hometown but Filipino American. I found Nonito and his wife Rachel (also a great martial arts champion) on Instagram and started following them. I really admired how Nonito seemed like a really hands-on family man.

Me: I love that!  And I love the glossary of boxing terms included at the back.  You also mention how many of these terms are part of everyday language.  I love how you weaved all of that together into the framework of your story with wonderful word play.  Was the manuscript always this tight?  Did it undergo lots of revisions?

Mia: Originally, I made Death a character that Boxer Baby battles in her crib. Remember how Death is a character in The Book Thief? But this made the illustrations trickier and my editor, Jason, suggested removing it altogether. He cut down a few other parts including a lot of additional idioms that kind of littered the manuscript. Another editor helped with the mom’s dialog to emphasize that she’s going to work and the dad is staying home. It was so fun to work with editors to tighten a story!

Me: Kai Gietzen’s illustrations are incredibly stylized and yet a perfect pairing for your book.  Were there any illustration surprises for you?  Any favorites? 

Mia: This is Kai Gietzen’s first picture book. He graduated from RISD a year ago. My oldest took a class with him and thought he was one of the most talented illustrators at school. He has an incredible way of showing unusual perspective to a scene that heightens the action and humor! There are so many scenes that I love including Boxer Baby on the rocking horse with the motion of the toys around her, her dad chasing her behind the couch, the big poo, and the cover. But, the biggest surprise was the scene when Dad takes Boxer Baby outside and wants a rematch. I had written in that Boxer Baby is in a stroller but Kai switched it to a baby backpack and it’s EXACTLY LIKE THE BACKPACK MY HUSBAND USED TO USE WITH OUR KIDS!!! How crazy is that?!

Me: That’s amazing!  I love so many of the details in the illustrations from boxing: the explanation of the “gloves,” the dog holding the round signs, and the house boxing decor.  Did you have any art notes for Kai in his illustrations?  Or did he add all of those on his own?

Mia: We had meetings every six weeks for over a year where everyone could look at Kai’s sketches and give suggestions. Some ideas such as the hallway of boxing icons and the dog holding the boxing round signs came out of us cracking each other up with ideas. It was really fun to work in such a collaborative way. Kai would take the ideas and run with them to make the scene even funnier! We would ask Kai if he just laughed all day as he sketched and created the art because that is how we reacted to them, but he said, no, he was in a constant state of anxiety about how his illustrations would be received.

Me: Aww!  But they work so well here!  What surprised you in creating this story?

Mia: The feedback I got from over a year on submission is that this is a story that appeals more to adults than children, but I have been reading this to preschoolers and elementary school students and they think it’s really fun. In fact, I start by acting out Sumo Joe, my debut picture book. Then, I asked the kids which book they wanted to hear next since we had time for only one story. I hold up Food for the Future: Sustainable Farms Around the World, gorgeously illustrated by Robert Sae-Heng, and Boxer Baby Battles Bedtime! and they always choose Boxer Baby!

That’s perfect.  Kids will always defy expectations.  Thank you for stopping by my blog again today Mia.

Dear readers, this book was just released this week!  If you haven’t had a chance yet to check it out, I highly recommend it.  It’s a funny take on babies fighting sleep that is incredibly memorable and a fun way to try and put the littles to bed.