BronzeWord Latino Book Tours

RENÉ HAS TWO LAST NAMES/ RENÉ TIENE DOS APELLIDOS
Colato Laínez, René.
Pub. Houston, Tex. : Piñata Books/Arte Público Press, c2009.
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.

About René Colato Laínez

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.
Do you want to know more about me?

To read biography http://sites.google.com/site/renecolatolainez/biography

Author Events

Please contact Connecting Authors for booking information via email at susan@connectingauthors.com or call 1-866-528-9269 1-866-528-9269.
I am available for classroom, school, library, bookstore, conference and book fair presentations.
Some highlights about my presentations:
-Lead Bookmaking Workshops for teachers, parents and students.
-Discuss the process of publication.
-Present multicultural literature.
-Presentations with other three talented authors under Libropalooza.
-Read and act my bilingual books.
My presentations are full of music, games, roots, English and español and of course full of stories. Contact Author
Booking Agent: Susan Katz- www.connectingauthors.com
for booking information email at susan@connectingauthors.com
or call 1-866-528-9269 1-866-528-9269
Literary Agent: Stefanie Von Borstel- www.fullcircleliterary.com
7676 Hazard Center Drive, Suite 500- San Diego, CA 92108
858.824.9269 858.824.9269 email: stefanie@fullcircleliterary.com
Hayley Gonnason, Publicist- Tricycle Press
An imprint of the Crown Publishing Group,
a division of Random House Inc., New York
Fax 510-559-1637
Phone 510-559-1600 510-559-1600 x3087
Hayley.gonnason@tenspeed.com
Arte Público Press/Piñata Books- www.piñatabooks.com
University of Houston, 452 Cullen Performance Hall, Houston, TX 77204
Phone: 1-800-633-ARTE 1-800-633-ARTE Fax: 713-7433080