Rene Has Two Last Names / Rene tiene dos apellidos (English and Spanish Edition)

This book was exactly what I wanted - a book to explain to my daughter why she has two last names (that are not hyphenated) and why that is something to celebrate. The way Rene Colato Lainez comes to this was a little difficult for me to read to her. Rene's teacher just ignores part of his name, he corrects her, and she basically says, no. He goes home, explains to his parents that evidently in the US you only have one last name and they disagree but there is no action taken. In the end, after a presentation about his family history, he gets his name back, but I'm not sure about the lesson of accepting someone telling you what your name is. No one, and certainly no teacher, should be telling children what their names are. I would have preferred if either Rene or his parents said to the teacher, that is absurd, if this is difficult for you to understand, here is a lovely presentation about our family but you don't decide our son's name.The book was a much needed addition to our collection but I do struggle every time with the teacher's arrogance and have to annotate a bit to explain that she is silly and must have been confused when she ignored half of his last name.

Great book!! I purchased this for a Spanish classroom. It does a great job of showing students how double-barrelled surnames work and exploring this important cultural topic. I do agree with some other reviewers that the book does not do a great job with the bullying aspect when the students make fun of René for his name and the teacher refuses to acknowledge the student's second last name. However, this is easily fixed by pausing when we read the story on this page to discuss with the students that this behavior is not acceptable and encourage them to ask about culture and take the opportunity to learn rather than bully. Overall, fantastic book with beautiful artwork that serves as a fun way to learn about double-barrelled surnames!

I come from Puerto Rico and like every other Spanish speaking culture, our children are born carrying TWO last names (and no they're NOT hyphenated). I came to the US for work reasons (I'm a teacher) and have been living here for nine yrs., people still ask me and wonder why is that Hispanics from Spanish speaking countries carry two last names. My explanations have gone from extensive, to simply "I'm proud to carry my mother's name in mine" or "I have a mother, don't you?" or "NO WHERE in the LAW is changing your last name when you get married a woman's requirement", or a less condescending "where I'm from kids get two last names, help a lot when you have several of the same in one class know who's who".Regardless, when I showed my co-workers the book they got an understanding as to why children from other cultures carry not one, but two. The illustrations are beautiful and colorful. The story is funny, endearing, and teachable. Students will love how René Colato Laínez wrote this lovely story.

Very cute book with bright, colorful drawings and written in both English and Spanish on every page! The length is perfect for younger learners (as a third grade teacher I read this with my students) and the content is certainly relatable to many children. I know this book is based on the author's experiences, which makes it even more interesting to read about and talk about. I would recommend this book for students K-3 since I could see older readers getting bored with the shorter plot.

I bought this to share with my students, who are mostly of Salvadoran and Honduran backgrounds, and have two last names. They loved seeing a Salvadoran main character and comparing their last names to his. So glad to finally find some Central American picture books!

Great way to get children, whether at home or at school, to practice both languages. Also, it provides the opportunity to introduce different cultures.

Needed for university level assignment (teaching)!

Wonderful story. Made so many personal connections. Proud to carry my dad's and mom's last name! I will certainly recommend this book to my colleagues and will be read to students many times when they visit the library!!!