Mamá the Alien / Mamá la extraterrestre- Paperback Edition

Written by René Colato Laínez

Illustrated by Laura Lacámara

*Publisher: Lee & Low Books

*Language: English, Spanish

*Print length: 32 pages

*ISBN-10: 1643797778

*ISBN-13: 978-1643797779

Mamá the Alien is now available in paperback edition!

In this lighthearted bilingual story, a young girl sees the word alien on her mother's immigration card and concludes that her mother must be from another planet.

When Sofia gets a peek at Mamá's Resident Alien card, she wonders: Is Mamá an alien from outer space? Sofia heads to the library to learn about aliens. Some have four fingers on each hand, and some have blue or green skin. But to Sofia, Mamá looks like a human mother!

Sofia is stuck figuring out this mystery until she sees her mom getting ready for her citizenship ceremony. That's when Sofia realizes that in English, an alien can be someone from another planet, and it can also be a person from another country.

Filled with imagination and humor, Mamá the Alien is a sweet and timely celebration of family, no matter where that family comes from. Even if it's outer space!

¡Mamá la extraterrestre ya esta disponible en edición de pasta blanda!

En esta alegre historia bilingüe, una niña ve la palabra alien en una tarjeta de imigración de su mamá y concluye que su madre debe ser alienígena.

Cuando Sofia ve una tarjeta de su mamá que dice Resident Alien, se pregunta: ¿podría ser mamá un alienígena, de otro planeta? Sofia va a la biblioteca para aprender sobre los extraterrestres. Algunos tienen cuatro dedos en cada mano y algunos tienen piel azúl o verde. ¡Pero para Sofia, mamá parece una madre humana!

Sofia se queda atascada con este rompecabeza hasta que ve a su mama preparandose para su ceremonia de ciudadania. Y es entonces que Sofia se da cuenta que en inglés, un alien puede ser alguien de otro planeta y también puede ser una persona de otro país. 

Lleno de imaginación y humor, este dulce libro es una oportuna celebración de la familia, no importe de donde vienen sus miembros. ¡Hasta si vienen del espacio sideral!

Review

"A delightful, original, clever, purposeful, multicultural alien tale." -- Kirkus Reviews, starred review

"This heartfelt and humorous story is perfect for primary-school readers, as well as a useful way for parents or educators to introduce the topic of immigration. An author's note further explains the meaning of resident alien and will help readers understand the humor behind Sofia's misunderstanding. Acrylic-and-collage illustrations in cheery saturated tones showcase Sofia's wild imaginings and the story's joyful conclusion." -- Booklist

"Playful.... The pictures are pleasant-looking, the subject is important to address with young children, and the story makes for very easy reading in both languages." -- School Library Journal

René Colato Laínez was born in El Salvador. He is an award-winning author who holds an MFA in Writing for Children from the Vermont College of Fine Arts. Críticas has called René's characters "immigrant heroes." He currently lives in Los Angeles, California.

Laura Lacámara is both an author and illustrator of children's books. She is a popular presenter at schools, book festivals, libraries, and conferences, and is an active member of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators. A native of Cuba, she now lives in Venice, California, with her husband and their daughter.

Workshops at CABE 2017 (California Association For Bilingual Education)

Connecting Communities through Our Languages, Cultures, and Stories

Forty-two Years of Educational Excellence for English Learners & Biliteracy for All

March 29 - April 1, 2017

Anaheim Marriott and Hilton Hotels-
 Anaheim, California

www.cabe2017.org

Many children's book writers will be presenting at CABE.  This is a partial list of author's workshops in English and Español. If you are at CABE, please come and meet them. 

Thursday March 30, 2017 

Writers Workshop in the Common Core Classroom

1:30pm - 2:45pm

Hilton Room: Catalina 4

Students write better when they control their writing. This presentation, focused on upper elementary grades, presents participants with a writing program that balances standards-based instruction with the Writers Workshop model. The five-day plan explains how to arrange time to teach grammar and spelling, district writing assessments, and Writers Workshop sessions. All the components for student writing folders, including domain/genre sheets, writers’ logs to keep track of projects, pre-writing organizers, and more will be shared.

From Idea To Book: Mamá The Alien/ Mamá la extraterrestre

3:15pm - 4:30pm

Hilton Room: Catalina 4

Author René Colato Laínez and illustrator Laura Lacámara, will discuss the process of publication of the bilingual book Mamá The Alien/ Mamá la extrarrestre. René Colato Laínez will share how he got the idea and concept to write the story. Laura Lacámara will describe her illustration process from sketches to final art.

Friday March 30, 2017 

The Stories Behind the Stories- Los cuentos detrás de los cuentos

10:30am - 11:45am

Marriott Room: Orange County 2

The Stories Behind the Stories- Los cuentos detrás de los cuentos Bilingual Children’s authors James Luna and Amy Costales share the stories behind their picture books, stories that come from community and family. Come learn about those stories and how literature helps students write about their own lives.  Conversation in Spanish and English.  

Two Languages on My Tongue: U.S. Spanish in the Classroom

1:30pm - 2:45pm

Marriott Room: Orange County 2

Language is living, evolving and intimately tied to the identities of its speakers. How do our youth feel when they are told their Spanish is bad, incorrect or informal? And how do we, as teachers, avoid turning Spanish class into yet another barrier? In this interactive presentation, Amy Costales, bilingual children's author and Spanish Heritage Language Advisor, will present methodology to meet the needs of heritage speakers of Spanish and address linguistic variation in U.S. Spanish.

Creating Art with Children's Books

3:15pm - 4:30pm

Marriott Room: Orange County 2

Come and celebrate reading in two languages. Three children's authors will present their bilingual books. Then, they will share art activities relating to their books that you can do in the classroom with your students or at home with your children. Participants will receive a packet of the art activities. Ven y diviértete.

Writers Workshop in the Common Core Classroom

3:15pm - 4:30pm

Hilton Room: Catalina 4

Students write better when they control their writing. This presentation, focused on upper elementary grades, presents participants with a writing program that balances standards-based instruction with the Writers Workshop model. The five-day plan explains how to arrange time to teach grammar and spelling, district writing assessments, and Writers Workshop sessions. All the components for student writing folders, including domain/genre sheets, writers’ logs to keep track of projects, pre-writing organizers, and more will be shared.

Authors James Luna, Mara Price and René Colato Laínez at CABE 2014

Mamá the Alien/ Mamá la extraterrestre

Written by René Colato Laínez

Illustrated by Laura Lacámara

I am so happy that my new bilingual book Mamá the Alien/ Mamá la extraterrestre is available now. Last week, I received my author's copies. It is always great to see, feel and hug a book for the first time.

 The box is here!

Fantastic! My new book!

Mamá the Alien/ Mamá la extraterrestre 

When Mamá’s purse falls on the floor, Sofia gets a peek at Mamá’s old Resident Alien card and comes to the conclusion that Mamá might be an alien from outer space.

Sofía heads to the library to do some research. She finds out that aliens can be small, or tall. Some have four fingers on each hand, and some have big round eyes. Their skin can be gray or blue or green. But she and Mamá look like human people. Could Mamá really be an alien from another planet? 

Filled with imagination and humor, Mamá the Alien/Mamá la extraterrestre is a sweet and timely immigration story, and a tender celebration of family, no matter which country (or planet) you come from. 

Reviews

A delightful, original, clever, purposeful, multicultural alien tale.- Kirkus Reviews

… an exceptional story about immigration with a new twist. – Booklist

Book Trailers

Thank you, Fabiola and Ms. Hernández

René Colato Laínez has written more than a dozen award-winning books for young readers. A native of El Salvador, his goal is to write stories in which children of color are portrayed positively, with hopes and dreams for the future. This story was inspired by the many children of immigrants who have experienced the same misunderstanding as Sofía. When not writing or presenting at conferences or workshops, Colato Laínez teaches in a bilingual elementary school. He lives in Arleta, California, and you can find him online at renecolatolainez.com. 

Laura Lacámara is the creator of several award-winning children’s books; and she is a popular presenter at schools, festivals, and conferences. Born in Cuba, Lacámara was delighted to illustrate this story because it is clever as well as meaningful, especially since she was the same age as Sofía in the story when her own mamá became a United States citizen. Lacámara also had fun creating her own versions of aliens! She lives in Venice, California, with her husband and their daughter. Visit her online at lauralacamara.com. 

Mamá the Alien/ Mamá la extraterrestre

Written by René Colato Laínez

Illustrated by Laura Lacámara

• School & Library Binding: 32 pages
• Publisher: Children's Book Press an imprint of Lee & Low Books Inc (July 15, 2016)
• ISBN-10: 0892392983
• ISBN-13: 978-0892392988

Hello Blogueros!

I am so excited to present to our readers my latest bilingual picture book, Mamá the Alien/ Mamá la extraterrestre. 

Take a look to meet Sofía. She discovered mamá's old immigration card: RESIDENT ALIEN. Can her mamá be really an alien?

Description of the book:

Sofía has discovered a BIG secret. Mamá is an alien—una extraterrestre! At least, that’s what it says on the card that fell out of her purse. But Papá doesn’t have an alien card. Does that mean Sofía is half alien? 

Sofía heads to the library to do some research. She finds out that aliens can be small, or tall. Some have four fingers on each hand, and some have big round eyes. Their skin can be gray or blue or green. But she and Mamá look like human people. Could Mamá really be an alien from another planet? 

Filled with imagination and humor, Mamá the Alien/Mamá la extraterrestre is a sweet and timely immigration story, and a tender celebration of family, no matter which country (or planet) you come from. 

René Colato Laínez has written more than a dozen award-winning books for young readers. A native of El Salvador, his goal is to write stories in which children of color are portrayed positively, with hopes and dreams for the future. This story was inspired by the many children of immigrants who have experienced the same misunderstanding as Sofía. When not writing or presenting at conferences or workshops, Colato Laínez teaches in a bilingual elementary school. He lives in Arleta, California, and you can find him online at renecolatolainez.com. 

Laura Lacámara is the creator of several award-winning children’s books; and she is a popular presenter at schools, festivals, and conferences. Born in Cuba, Lacámara was delighted to illustrate this story because it is clever as well as meaningful, especially since she was the same age as Sofía in the story when her own mamá became a United States citizen. Lacámara also had fun creating her own versions of aliens! She lives in Venice, California, with her husband and their daughter. Visit her online at lauralacamara.com.