With Two Last Names, René Gets Extra Recognition!

René Has Two Last Names / René tiene dos apellidos (Piñata Books, 2009) by René Colato Laínez has been named a 2010 Américas Award for Children’s and Young Adult Literature Commended Title.

Sponsored by the national Consortium of Latin American Studies Programs (CLASP), the Américas Award is given in recognition of U.S. works of fiction, poetry, folklore, or selected non-fiction (from picture books to works for young adults) published in the previous year in English or Spanish that authentically and engagingly portray Latin America, the Caribbean, or Latinos in the United States. By combining and linking the Americas, the award reaches beyond geographic borders, as well as multicultural-international boundaries, focusing instead upon cultural heritages within the hemisphere.  The award winners and commended titles are selected for their 1) distinctive literary quality; 2) cultural contextualization; 3) exceptional integration of text, illustration and design; and 4) potential for classroom use.

René Has Two Last Names / René tiene dos apellidos is an engaging bilingual picture book about a boy’s clever efforts to help his classmates understand the Hispanic tradition of having two last names.  School Library Journal says that “Colato Laínez introduces readers to a significant Hispanic cultural tradition and the sentiments of many immigrants.”  The book is also the recipient of a 2010 Skipping Stones Honor Award for Multicultural & International Awareness Books.

RENÉ COLATO LAÍNEZ came to the United States from El Salvador as a teen, and he writes about his experiences in bilingual children’s books such as Waiting for Papá / Esperando a Papá (Piñata Books, 2004); I Am René, the Boy / Soy René, el niño (Piñata Books, 2005); and René Has Two Last Names / René tiene dos apellidos (Piñata Books, 2009). He is also the author of Playing Lotería / El juego de la lotería (Luna Rising, 2005), My Shoes and I (Boyds Mills Press, 2010), The Tooth Fairy Meets El Ratón Pérez (Tricycle Press, 2010), and the forthcoming From North to South / Del norte al sur (Children’s Book Press, September 2010). René is a graduate of the Vermont College MFA program in Writing for Children & Young Adults and a bilingual elementary teacher at Fernangeles Elementary School in the Los Angeles Unified School District.