''On the first day at my new school, my teacher, Miss Soria, gave me a sticker that said Rene 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: Rene Colato Lainez.''
Young Rene 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, Rene and Amelia. When he writes Lainez, he sees his maternal grandparents, Angela and Julio. Without his second ''like a hamburger without the meat or a pizza without cheese or a hot dog without a wiener.''
His new classmates giggle when Rene tells them his name. ''That's a long dinosaur name,'' one says. ''Your name is longer than an anaconda,'' another laughs. But Rene 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, Rene is determined to explain the importance of using both of his last names. On the day of his presentation, Rene explains that he is as hard working as Abuelo Rene, 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 Rene Colato Lainez and illustrator Fabiola Graullera Ramirez, and follows their award-winning collaboration, I Am Rene, the Boy / Soy Rene, el nino. 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.