Twelve-year old Ram survives on the streets of Chandigarh, India, winning games of gilli for money. After a game goes wrong, Ram darts deep into the forest, where he encounters a mysterious man, Nek, who creates art with scraps of metal and junk. Can Ram discover a way to keep Nek’s sculptures safe? (Grades 4-8)
Nek Chand
The Secret Kingdom: Nek Chand, a Changing India, and a Hidden World of Art
In 1947, Nek Chand began building a Rock Garden in Chandigarh, India, using natural and discarded manmade materials, including broken glass, porcelain from chipped sinks, old bicycles and rusty pipes. Readers will learn of Chand’s marvelous creations in this picture book biography with detailed illustrations and a gatefold photograph. (Grades 2-5)