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2010-09-02T23:22:00.000-07:00

WELCOME! ¡BIENVENIDOS!

Follow my virtual book tour HERE.

Awards for René Has Two Last Names:
2010 Americas Book Award Commended Title
Honorable Mention: International Latino Book Awards
2010 Skipping Stones Honor Award

2010-2011 Tejas Star Book Award List

VIRTUAL BOOK TOUR

2010-01-22T22:03:00.000-08:00

Day 1 Orlando Latino
Day 2 Lori Calabrese Writes!
Day 3 Café of Dreams
Day 4 Mama Latina Tips
Day 5 Latino Book Examiner

Day 6 Regular Rumination
Day 7 Cuponeando
Day 8 Tartamuda
Day 9 La Licenciada
Day 10 Devourer of Books

Day 11 Chronicle of an Infant Bibliophile
Day 12 Latino Book Examiner
Day 13 Book Journey
Day 14 The Sol Within
Day 15 Bilingual in the Boonies

FOR TEACHERS- RENÉ HAS TWO LAST NAMES

2009-09-21T21:33:00.000-07:00

Hispanics have two last names. Read understanding Latino Names and Traditional Hispanic Last Names.
Create your own family tree. Use these lesson plans. My Family Tree and Family Tree Photo Story.
Find different printable forms to create your own family tree on Kids' Turn Central and Family Trees for Kids.
Build your family tree and do many fun activities on line at Family Tree Kids.
René loves pupusas. Here is the recipe. Enjoy!
René drinks horchata with his family. Get ready and make your own horchata.
Cha Cha Chá is Renés favorite music. Learn some history and a few steps here.
René was born in El Salvador. Print and color the map and learn some Salvadoran facts. ¡Excelente!

FOR TEACHERS- I AM RENÉ, THE BOY

2009-09-20T00:37:00.000-07:00

Acrostic poems. All About Me and My Favorite Things.
Name Talk: Exploring Letter-Sound Knowledge in the Primary Classroom.
What's in a name? Teaching Concepts of Letter and Word.
All about me. My Name is Special.
What famous people have your name? Bravo! Great!
Your name is famous! Just type and search.
René’s favorite language is Spanish. Visit Chico and his friends to practice Spanish.
René loves to eat fried plantain with sour cream. This is the recipe. Eat the Salvadoran way.
René was born in El Salvador. Print and color the map and learn some Salvadoran facts. ¡Excelente!

RENÉ HAS TWO LAST NAMES

2009-09-12T20:53:00.000-07:00

On the first day at my new school, my teacher gave me a sticker that said René Colato. The sticker was missing my second last name. Maybe Miss Soria's pen ran out of ink. I took my pencil and added it. Now it looked right: René Colato Laínez.

My new classmates giggled when I told them my name.
"That's a long dinosaur name."
"Your name is longer than an anaconda."

René Colato looked incomplete. It was like a hamburger without the meat or a pizza without cheese or a hot dog without a wiener.

I did not want to lose my second last name! Losing my second last name meant losing half of my family, my Mamá’s beautiful family.

I AM RENÉ, THE BOY

2009-09-12T20:22:00.001-07:00

My name is René, like my grandfather and my father. I am René, the third. In El Salvador, René is a name only for boys.

One morning, my new teacher called role. When she said “René”, I was ready to say “here” with pride. But someone else answered to my name. She was Renee, the girl. I could not believe it. Here, in the United States, René was a girl’s name!

That afternoon my classmates teased me, "René has a girl’s name."

REVIEWS-RENÉ HAS TWO LAST NAMES

2009-09-12T19:41:00.000-07:00

René’s full name proudly reminds him that he is a product of both his father and mother’s family histories, both rich in talent and hard work. Drawing from his personal immigrant experience, the author tells his story in a bilingual narration, his sincere, earnest voice augmented by Graullera Ramírez’s softly colored cartoon-style watercolor scenes of family and classmates. The significance of this Hispanic tradition respecting both sides of a child’s parentage is well explained in this easily understood example of cultural differences. (Picture book. 5-8)- Kirkus Reviews

René, a new student from El Salvador, doesn’t understand why his second last name is missing from his desk’s name label. Adding it results in a name so long that his classmates make fun of it by comparing it to that of a dinosaur. He discusses the problem with his parents, but they don’t have an answer. That night he dreams of a world without a mother and maternal grandparents who dance, make chocolate, and fix his bike. Half of his world is missing and he is not about to let that happen. When his teacher assigns the students the project of creating a family tree, René is determined to show his classmates and teacher why he has two last names and the importance of his dos apellidos. Colato Laínez introduces readers to a significant Hispanic cultural tradition and the sentiments of many immigrants. The illustrations are simple but beautifully embellish the text. A wonderful bilingual selection for storytime and for units on families. –Diana Borrego Martínez, Salinas, CA- School Library Journal

REVIEWS- I AM RENÉ, THE BOY

2009-09-12T19:35:00.000-07:00

-"This story will prompt discussion and empathy for students struggling with language acquisition and cultural change." -School Library Journal

-“This book unmistakably expresses the adventure René embarks on, discovering his self-identity while ultimately finding great pride in his name.” -Foreword Magazine

-“Humorous illustrations, marked by oversized heads, mildly Cubist perspectives and rich pastels, combine with a wry narrative tone to fashion a marvelous look not simply at names shared by boys and girls, but also the transformation required of Spanish-speaking children as they remake themselves into English speakers. Rene the boy, a native El Salvadoran, is taken aback and then relieved to learn the name of the new girl in his class: taken aback that it's pronounced the same as his, relieved that it's spelled Renee. His discomfort leads him to research his name and write about it for a school essay contest, which he wins. The text moves swiftly forward in both English and Spanish, and Rene's essay provides a convincing and pertinent way for the author to point out the strong benefits of being bilingual and bi-national. A winner all-around." -Kirkus Review

REVIEWS

2009-09-08T15:00:00.001-07:00

I Am René, The Boy

René Has Two Last Names

AWARDS

2009-09-08T14:59:00.001-07:00

René Has Two Last Names:

2010 Americas Book Award Commended Title
2010 International Latino Book Award, Honorable Mention
2010 Skipping Stones Honor Award
2010-2011 Tejas Star Book Award Finalist

I Am René, The Boy:

2008-2009 Tejas Star Book Award Finalist
2006 Latino Book Award, Best Bilingual Picture Book
2006 Special Recognition, Paterson Prize for Books for Young People
2005 Junior Library Guild Selection

FOR TEACHERS

2009-09-07T22:13:00.003-07:00

Great ideas for teachers:

René Has Two Last Names

I Am René, the Boy

BUY THE BOOKS

2009-09-07T22:13:00.001-07:00

Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Piñata Books/Arte Publico Press
Del Sol Books
Arroyo Viejo

Or at your favorite local bookstore or Internet site.

MY GRANDPARENTS

2009-09-07T22:11:00.000-07:00

Abuela Amelia is a potter. She molds clay to make delicate pots. Abuelo René is a farmer. He plants and harvests fruits and vegetables. He takes care of his plants all year long and never gives up. They are my father's parents.

Abuelo Julio is a poet. He recites wonderful poems and tells great stories. Abuela ángela is a great dancer. She has many trophies and medals. They are my mother’s parents.

I am as hard working as Abuelo René and as creative as Abuela Amelia. I can tell wonderful stories like Abuelo Julio and enjoys music like Abuela ángela.

MY PARENTS

2009-09-07T22:10:00.000-07:00

My Papá's name is René. He is René, the second. My father has long hair like me. He also has a big mustache not like me. He says that my family and roots are in my heart. His last names are Colato Chávez.

My Mamás name is Juana. Even though my country, El Salvador, is very far away, my mother can bring it to the table when she cooks yummy pupusas and fried plantains. She says that I will always be her baby. But I am eight years old! Her last names are Laínez Macías.

MY LOOKS

2009-09-07T22:09:00.002-07:00

I am René Colato Laínez. I have brown skin, like the sweet bread that Mamá gives me for breakfast. I have black and straight hair that does not like combs or brushes. I have beautiful, black eyes like Mamá and strong arms like Papá.

MY FAVORITES

2009-09-07T22:09:00.001-07:00

Food:
Pizza (Extra large pizza with a lot of cheese)
Fried plantains with sour cream
Pupusas
Sweet bread
Hot chocolate
Horchata drink

Color:
Green

Languages:
Spanish, my native language
English, my new language
I am bilingual!

Music:
Cha Cha Chá

Pet:
My cat

CREATORS

2009-09-07T22:07:00.001-07:00

René Colato Laínez came to the United States from El Salvador as a teen, and he writes about his experiences in children’s books such as Waiting for Papá, I Am René, the Boy and René Has Two Last Names. His book, Playing Lotería was a finalist in the 2007-2008 Tejas Star Book Award and received the 2008 New Mexico Book Award for Best Children’s Book. He is a graduate of the Vermont College MFA program in Writing for Children & Young Adults and a bilingual elementary teacher at Fernangeles Elementary. Visit him at www.renecolatolainez.com.

Fabiola Graullera Ramírez, a native of Mexico City, graduated from UNAM’s National School of Fine Arts with a degree in Graphic Communication. Her work has been part of collective exhibits in Mexico and Spain. She has illustrated many picture books, including I Am René, the Boy and René Has Two Last Names. Fabiola has an aquarium with several tropical fish and a cat named Dalila who enjoys watching the fish all day. Visit her art gallery at www.renaissancehouse.net.