BOOK TOUR: RENE COLATO LAINEZ

Hi All!

A special treat today...The fabulous Jo Ann Hernandez of BronzeWord has invited me to participate in a Blog Tour for the incredible children's book author, Rene Colato Lainez. He wrote a clever book about hyphenated last names and how our family and history are tied to our names. It was a pleasure interviewing him and I agree that our names can reveal much about us.

Just like shoes.

Visit Rene's site here

And BronzeWord Latino Authors here

In the comments, tell me what your name means and if you think it suits you. Most honest/interesting answer gets an author autographed book! This is a wonderful gift for the kiddies.

About Rene Has Two Last Names/Rene Tiene Dos Appellidos

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... His new classmates giggle when René tells them his name. "That's a long dinosaur name," one says. 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.

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.

1. I liked that René felt connected to his grandparents by his name and share your belief that names are an important part of our identity and personal history. This is something that you also explore in “I am Rene the Boy/ Soy Rene el Nino”. René means to be reborn – do you think your name suits you?

My name René had a new meaning when I came to the United States. In my country, I was René, a boy with dreams and adventures to accomplish. But in the United States that boy felt that everything was different and that he did not had the skills to accomplish those dreams. René means to reborn and indeed I was reborn in this new country. I learned a new language and a new culture and the most important thing that dreams can be accomplish if you fight for them and never give up. René said in I Am René, the Boy, “I am so lucky that after I was born again, I can speak, read and write in English and Spanish.”

2. You come from a creative and artistic family. How did that influence your early life as a writer? Do you think it is important to encourage children to develop an appreciation for the arts?

It was always an adventure to visit my grandparents. I learn so many songs, stories, riddles and proverbs from them. My family instilled in me that there were no borders when you use your imagination. As a child, I always have ideas to write about. The arts are very important for children. As an elementary teacher, I can see how my students react to a writing piece after they paint, sing, explore or dance. After doing a fun activity that I able to produce more work. Also by exploring the arts, children are also exposed to the many rich cultures around the world.

3. Your books must have a significant impact on bilingual families because not only does it encourage pride in culture and language, but on a practical level, it teaches children to develop language skills in both English and Spanish. Tell me a story about a personally fulfilling reaction readers have had to your books.

I had so many stories about reader reactions to my books. During my first author’s signing, a boy approached me with a copy of my book Waiting for Papá. He had tears in his eyes and told me, “Thank you for writing my story. My father is not here with me yet but after reading your book, I know that some day we will be together.”
During the Festival of books at UCLA a girl told me, “I didn’t like to speak Spanish so much but after reading Playing Lotería, I changed my mind. Muchas gracias. "

4. In addition to your impressive and beautifully illustrated children’s books, you have also written short stories and novels. I read the titles on your website; the one that captured my interest was “Honey Moon in the Caribbean”. What a great title! Are these stories you might share with your readers some day?

I wrote most of those short stories and novels when I was in high school and college. I published short stories at the Spanish school paper “La voz estudiantil.” The novels are in the first drafts. I have plans to work on “Going North”, this can be a powerful young adult novel. “Honey Moon in the Caribbean” can be a great romantic adult novel. Thank you for your encouragement, I might work on it in the future.

I had published some children’s stories and poems at Revista Iguana, a Spanish magazine for children. www.nicagal.com.

5. What music do you listen to for inspiration?

For fun, I like to listen to rock and Latin Pop. Classic music is great when I am writing. As a good Latino, I like salsa, cumbia and merengue. But I need to take some dancing classes.

6. Your next book, “The Tooth Fairy Meets El Raton Perez”, is going to be
awesome. It is an excellent way to illustrate how folklore and myths from both
cultures can shape childhood and the importance of keeping those stories alive.
What inspired you to write this story?

I grew up with el Ratón Pérez. He collected all my teeth and gave me some gifts in returns like coins, books and tickets to the circus.
I had the idea to write the story when I heard my next door teacher screaming and ready to go to the office. One of his students told her that a mouse took his tooth the night before and that he loves that mouse because that little mouse visited his house often. There were five children living at home. “This kid lives among mice and rats. I need to call social service,” he said to me.
He did not go to the office after I told him about that special mouse.

That night I wrote about El Ratón Pérez, the Hispanic tooth mouse collector in Latin America and Spain.

(The book comes out March 23, 2010 from Tricycle Press)

Thank you Rene! Buy any and all of Rene's books here. Or if you are local, here.

Follow Rene! 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

And to learn more about BronzeWord Latino Book Tours, please visit:

http://www.LatinoBookTours.com

Does your name suit you?