Top 100 pick because:

I was loving the narrative flow, and the artwork already when the big reveal happened and I gasped. I teared up and just gasped. This is a story that needs to be told. Simple white background with brilliant, colorful depictions of Indian people, culture, plants, animals, and art-even the font works perfectly for this story. This makes me want to learn more about Ned Chand and the "Rock Garden". ( )

I picked up this book because professional reviews indicated that it might be a good picture-book nonfiction selection for my library's Battle of the Books program. After having read it, I am hoping it gets chosen for next year's list! Students are always interested in true stories about people who've accomplished remarkable things. In addition to fitting that bill, this title is about someone new to many U.S. readers; provides them with a glimpse into the history and culture of a country many of them know little about; and has a two-page author's note that fleshes out the information presented in the main text. The illustrations are lovely; I also appreciated the foldout spread with actual photos of Chand's creations.

I received a free copy of this book through LibraryThing's Early Reviewer program.