Want to create an interactive transcript for this episode?
Podcast: The Children's Book Podcast
Episode: Mia Wenjen and Nat Iwata
Description: Mia Wenjen (@pragmaticmom) and Nat Iwata (@NatIwata) share SUMO JOE. 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 book I've read that addresses the practice of sumo and it does so against challenges to gender restrictions while providing a historical context. I'm especially impressed with the economy of words at work here. With the help of Nat's illustrations, Mia accomplishes breadth and depth on the topic using just a handful of words. The result is a story that's easy to read o...