RENÉ COLATO LAÍNEZ came to the United States from El Salvador as a teen, and he writes about his experiences in bilingual children’s books such as “Waiting for Papá / Esperando a Papá” (Piñata Books, 2004), “I Am René, the Boy / Soy René, el niño” (2005), “René Has Two Last Names / René tiene dos apellidos” (2009) and “My Shoes and I / Mis zapatos y yo” (Piñata Books, 2019). His other books include “Mamá the Alien / Mamá la extraterrestre” (Lee & Low Books, 2016), “The Tooth Fairy Meets El Ratón Pérez” (Tricycle Press, 2010), “From North to South / Del norte al sur” (Children’s Book Press, 2010) and “Playing Lotería / El juego de la lotería” (Luna Rising, 2005). A graduate of the Vermont College MFA program in Writing for Children & Young Adults, René is a bilingual elementary teacher at Fernangeles Elementary School in the Los Angeles Unified School District.