When her teacher Miss McMahan gives her an assignment to create a project that reflects her cultural heritage, Romina wonders what she can make that will include both her Indian and Mexican backgrounds. Her sister Leela's suggestion of a rangoli - a type of floor "painting" quite popular in India - represents only one side of the family, and of Romina. As she discusses matters with her parents, Romina gradually comes to see that the cultures of India and Mexico are not so dissimilar, but it takes a conversation with her neighbor, Mr. Gonzales, to point her to the perfect project...

I like the idea of Romina's Rangoli immensely. It's good to see a picture-book addressing the complexity of ethnic and cultural identity in modern-day America. I liked Romina's combination of two different artistic traditions in her project, and was interested in the author's informative afterword about India's rangoli, and Mexico's papel picado tradition. Unfortunately, the narrative itself was a little too self-consciously well-intentioned for my taste, and the illustrations felt rather flat. I certainly wish that the visual and narrative appeal of this title were stronger, as the subject matter couldn't be more topical. Still, although it doesn't dazzle, it is a solid entry in the growing body of children's books addressing issues of mixed heritage. I found myself wondering what project (if any) I could make to represent all four sides of my own heritage... ( )

School Library Journal 2/1/2008 ( )