Romina's Rangoli.(Brief article)(Children's review)(Book review)

Romina's Rangoli

Malathi Michelle Iyengar, author

Jennifer Wanardi, illustrator

Shen's Books

40951 Fremont Blvd., Freemont, CA 94538

9781885008329, $16.95 www.shens.com

Romina's Rangoli is a children's picturebook about accepting and embracing both sides of one's biracial heritage. Young Romina is learning about immigrants at school, and her assignment for the forthcoming school open house is to make a project that represents the culture her family comes from. But Romina's father is from India, and her mother is from Mexico; how can she find one project to represent both cultures? Each member of Romina's family tries to help, but it is her neighbor Mr. Gonzales who inspires her to combine Mexican "papel picado" papercutting techniques and traditional Indian "rangoli" floor designs. The soft-hued color illustrations complement the text, which is involved enough to make Romina's Rangoli ideal for children who are almost ready to make the transition from picturebooks to chapter books. Highly recommended.