The Secret Kingdom

By Barb Rosenstock, Claire A. Nivola (Illustrator)

A secret garden of treasures faces destruction. Can it be saved?

4.2/5 Goodreads · 323 ratings

48 pages

$17.99Save 7%

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Bookroo's summary

In post-partition India, Nek Chand transforms discarded materials into a hidden wonderland, the Rock Garden of Chandigarh. For fifteen years, his secret creation flourishes until discovered by authorities who threaten its existence. As the government moves to dismantle it, local supporters rally to protect this extraordinary tribute to his lost homeland. Will Nek's visionary masterpiece survive the clash between art and bureaucracy?

From the publisher

A 2019 Orbis Pictus Honor Book The incredible story of the world’s largest visionary environment: the Rock Garden of Chandigarh, kept secret by outsider artist Nek Chand for fifteen years. After the partition of India in 1947, Nek Chand Saini settled in the city of Chandigarh, with nothing but stories brought from his homeland. Dismayed at his stark new surroundings, Nek began collecting river rocks, broken glass, and cracked water pots found on the roadside. He cleared a section of jungle and for seven years he stockpiled odds and ends. They were castoffs and rubbish to everyone else, but to Nek, they were treasures. He began to build a labyrinth of curving paths, mosaics, and repeating patterns: his very own tribute to the winding village of his youth, a hidden land of stories. Nek kept his kingdom secret for fifteen years, until a government crew stumbled upon it and sought to destroy it. But local fans agreed in awe: the Rock Garden had to be protected. Author Barb Rosenstock introduces readers to the outsider artist’s stunning creation, while Claire A. Nivola’s illustrations bring to life the land’s natural beauty and the surreal world Nek coaxed from his wild landscape.