Colato Laínez, René.
Pub. Houston, Tex. : Piñata Books/Arte Público Press, c2009.

Book Description:
Young René is from El Salvador, and he doesn't understand why his name has to be different in the United States. When he writes Colato, he sees his paternal grandparents, René and Amelia. When he writes Laínez, he sees his maternal grandparents, Angela and Julio. Without his second last name, René feels incomplete, "like a hamburger without the meat or a pizza without cheese or a hot dog without a wiener."

His new classmates giggle when René tells them his name. "That's a long dinosaur name," one says. "Your name is longer than an anaconda," another laughs. But René doesn't want to lose the part of him that comes from his mother's family. So when the students are given a project to create a family tree, René is determined to explain the importance of using both of his last names. On the day of his presentation, René explains that he is as hard working as Abuelo René, who is a farmer, and as creative as his Abuela Amelia, who is a potter. He can tell stories like his Abuelo Julio and enjoys music like his Abuela Angela.


This charming bilingual picture book for children ages 4 - 8 combines the winning team of author René Colato Laínez and illustrator Fabiola Graullera Ramírez, and follows their award-winning collaboration, I Am René, the Boy / Soy René, el niño. With whimsical illustrations and entertaining text, this sequel is sure to please fans and gain many new ones while explaining an important Hispanic cultural tradition.

BIO:
I am René Colato Laínez, the Salvadoran award winning author of I Am René, the Boy, Waiting for Papá, Playing Lotería, René Has Two Last Names and The Tooth Fairy Meets El Ratón Pérez.

My picture books have been honored by the Latino Book Award, the Paterson Prize for Books for Young People, the California Collection for Elementary Readers, the Tejas Star Book Award Selection and the New Mexico Book Award. I was named “Top Ten New Latino Authors to Watch (and Read)” by latinostories.com. I am a graduate of the Vermont College MFA program in Writing for Children & Young Adults.

My goal as a writer is to produce good multicultural children's literature; stories where minority children are portrayed in a positive way, where they can see themselves as heroes, and where they can dream and have hopes for the future. I want to write authentic stories of Latin American children living in the United States.


Book Tour Schedule
Jan 11 Leslie Regular Rumination
Jan 12 Yolanda Cuponeando
Jan 13 Marytza Tartamuda
Jan 14 Lisann LaLicenciada
Jan 15 Jen Devourer of Books
Jan 18 Lynn Chronicle of an Infant Bibliophile
Jan 19 Mayra Latino Book Examiner
Jan 20 Shelia One Persons Journey Through a World Of Books
Jan 21 Ana Rod The Sol Within
Jan 22 Carrie Bilingual in the Boonies

Prizes Each day during the Book Tour
As you visit each blog on the tour, leave a comment or question for the author and be eligible to win an autographed copy of RENÉ HAS TWO LAST NAMES/ RENÉ TIENE DOS APELLIDOS. Make sure you check back the following day to see if you won and for directions on how to receive your prize.

Jo Ann Hernández
BronzeWord Latino Book Tours
http://www.LatinoBookTours.com
JoAnn@LatinoBookTours.com