Amazon Rene Colato Lainez- My Books Category:  Children Publisher: Arte Publico Press- Piñata Books ISBN-10:  1558854037 Pages: 32 Copyright: October 31, 2004 ISBN-13: 9781558854031 When a young boy and his mother come to the United States from El Salvador, leaving his father behind, the boy misses his father very much and wants to do something special to show him how much he cares.

Waiting for Papa
Three cheers for Rene Colato Lainez's skillfully written Waiting for Papa/Esperando a Papa. The El Salvadoran author's real-life story mirrors the experiences of immigrant children, and these pages reveal hardships as well as hope, separation and the resilience of love...This book is truly a must for all English as a Second Language classrooms. -San Antonio Express News


Waiting for Papa
Michelle Negron Bueno - Children's Literature

This is a poignant yet hopeful story that addresses the "why" of immigration and the struggles that many immigrants face. The story begins on the bittersweet celebration of Beto's eighth birthday. He and his mother have moved from war-torn El Salvador to the United States. While Beto and his mother were granted visas after the factory in which his parents worked was bombed and after their house caught fire, Beto's father was not. Beto has to make his way in this new world without the most important person in his life, his papa. During the years of separation, Beto makes gifts for his father and saves his money to buy him a pair of boots- an item lost in the fire. Eventually, his father is granted a visa and is reunited with his family. During the civil war in the 1980s, hundreds of thousands of people in El Salvador were forced from their homes due to violence and lack of economic opportunities. Family separation, as in Beto's story, was all too common. For some, the United States was a place of refuge, but as we see in this story, it was not accessible to everyone. The straightforward illustrations, scenes from Beto's family's life in El Salvador and the United States, strengthen the story. The text is written in both Spanish and English providing an excellent learning tool for the bilingual classroom while the story's pertinence makes it an excellent addition to any classroom or home library. 2004, Pinata Press, Ages 7 to 10.

Esperando a Papá
Esperando a Papá por René Colato Laínez es un hermoso libro que nos llena de emoción y de lágrimas los ojos. Beto es un niño inmigrante de El Salvador que tuvo que abandonar su patria y a su papá debido a los problemas políticos de su país. Con la ayuda de varias personas, la familia se vuelve a reunir. Colato Laínez tiene mucha sensibilidad exponiendo la experiencia de un niño inmigrante y las razones por los cuales muchas personas se separan. -Christianne Meneses Jacobs, Revista Iguana.