"My Shoes and I" by Rene Colato

I have only been a blog host since the beginning of 2010, and, so far, I have greatly enjoyed it.

Seriously, this is a pretty sweet gig I got! (Can I get a holler, y’all?)

I get to meet a new author, get to ask some great questions, AND I get a free (sometimes, autographed) book! SWEET!

So far, I’ve had to honor of hosting Silvio Sirias, author of Meet Me Under the Ceiba, and Kermit Lopez, author of Cibolero. But this is the first time I have hosted an author of a children’s book, and it has given me a new appreciation for this job because not only am I a reader and a writer, but I am also an Illustrator. So you can imagine my enthusiasm.

Today, I am hosting author, Rene Colato, and his book, My Shoes and I.

If you have been following this tour, then you have a good idea of what the book is about. But just to recap.

It is all about a little boy’s journey across land. And what do you think accompanies him on this journey? You guess it, his shoes—his brand new shoes he received as a gift from his mother in the United States. Each page illustrates an obstacle the little boy encounters in his first cross-country trip to America. Some of these obstacles include a pack of dogs that eat his sandwich, a lost wallet in the bus terminal, and a hike through a torrential rain storm.

What I liked best about this book is that it’s not your typical children’s book with three little pigs or a little girl with a red hood. This book stands uniquely on its own. It is a true account of what it’s like to immigrate into this country. People have to crawl through dirt and mud, rain and storm, mountain and barbed wire to get to America.

Today, most kids have at least one older relative who went through that, like an aunt, a cousin, or grandfather. And this book would definitely show them (not just tell) but actually show them what these people went through to give them a better life. Not only was the story quick and easy to follow, but the illustrations were fun. They had a distinct, distorted style with a sketchy, child-like quality. It reminded me of all the crayon drawings I did as I kid.

And, in each picture, the focal point was always those shoes. Almost every detail in the picture pointed to the shoes.

Thank you, Rene, for bringing your work into my life.

If you think that this book would be great for some kid you know, then here’s your chance to win a free copy by the author, Rene Colato.

Leave a comment on this blog and fill out the contest entry form provided by the link below.
http://sandralopez.tripod.com/id24.html

Be sure to fill this form out so Rene will know where to send this book


If you don't win, you can still buy the book here at Dulce



About the Author:
I am René Colato Laínez, the Salvadoran award winning author of I Am René, the Boy, Waiting for Papá, Playing Lotería, René Has Two Last Names and The Tooth Fairy Meets El Ratón Pérez. My picture books have been honored by the Latino Book Award, the Paterson Prize for Books for Young People, the California Collection for Elementary Readers, the Tejas Star Book Award Selection and the New Mexico Book Award. I was named “Top Ten New Latino Authors to Watch (and Read)” by latinostories.com. I am a graduate of the Vermont College MFA program in Writing for Children & Young Adults.
My goal as a writer is to produce good multicultural children's literature; stories where minority children are portrayed in a positive way, where they can see themselves as heroes, and where they can dream and have hopes for the future. I want to write authentic stories of Latin American children living in the United States


The tour continues with:

Here is the schedule:


Monday March 08-Mayra Calvani http://www.examiner.com/x-6309-Latino-Books-Examiner


Tuesday March 09-Lori Calabrese http://www.examiner.com/x-7597-Childrens-Books-Examiner

Wednesday March 10-Christina Rodriguez http://www.christinarodriguez.com/


Thursday March 11-Silvia http://www.mamalatinatips.com/


Friday March 12-Monica Olivera Hazelton http://www.latinbabybookclub.com/



Monday March 15- Tina Nichols Coury http://www.tinanicholscouryblog.com/


Tuesday March 16-Michael Sedano http://www.labloga.blogspot.com/


Wednesday March 17-Caridad Pineiro http://www.caridad.com/blog/


Thursday March 18-Sandra Lopez http://sandrasbookclub.blogspot.com/


Friday March 19-Sheila DeChantal http://bookjourney.wordpress.com/


THIS TOUR IS ASSOCATED WITH BRONZEWORD LATINO