Secret Kingdom

Reviewed by: Kathy George - Gray Public Library, Gray, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: September 18, 2018

Review

When the partition of India took place in 1947, Nek Chand Saini, became a refugee and was relocated to a"new, modern city" in a part of India away from the village he and his family had called home forever. He had only the stories of his village, his culture, and his family to sustain him. This story has many meanings. It is the story of being uprooted from everything one knows, family, friends, the home and area your family has lived in all because of a political ideology. It is the story of the importance of stories and the importance of memories of all that has come before. Nek is determined to hold onto his culture. As a young man, he finds a few acres of untouched land. He slowly works in secret to clear it and recreate the stories of his youth with bits and pieces of broken glass, cracked pots and other materials thrown away. He built a rock garden covering some 12 acres. When government officials discover his secret kingdom, they want to destroy it- until the people of his city come. This is a true story. Nek became a famous folk artist and today between three and four thousand people visit his Rock garden of Chandigarh. This is an astonishing story and feat of art. Claire Nivola's illustrations done in watercolor and gouache give the reader the feeling of being in Nek's garden. This is a story that needs to be read and shared. Pair it with Bottle Houses: The Creative World of Grandma Prisbrey by Melissa Slaymaker and Roxaboxen by Alice Mclerran. It can be used in STEAM units.

Overall Book Score: excellent