Rene Has Two Last Names / Rene Tiene DOS Apellidos

In this story based on the author's childhood, a young Salvadoran immigrant is teased for having two last names until he presents his family tree project celebrating his heritage.

RENE COLATO LAINEZ 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 Papa / Esperando a Papa (Pinata Books, 2004) and I Am Rene, the Boy / Soy Rene, el nino (Pinata Books, 2005), which received Special Recognition in the 2006 Paterson Prize for Books for Young People. His book, Playing Loteri­a / El juego de la loteria (Luna Rising, 2005), was a finalist in the 2007-2008 Tejas Star Book Award, was named to Criticas magazine's ''Best Children s Books'' of 2005 and received the 2008 New Mexico Book Award for Best Children's Book. Rene 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.

FABIOLA GRAULLERA RAMIREZ, 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 Rene, the Boy / Soy Rene, el nino (Pinata Books, 2005).