THE ENCHANTED GARDEN OF TALWANDI 2013
Reviewed by I.J. Singh
This book comes to us from the pen of Jessi Kaur and is attractively illustrated by Arshia Singh. In writing about it today I am on somewhat uncertain territory not having read many books on or about Sikhi that are designed for very young primary school children.
But this book is an exception and deserves notice. The 29 page booklet is attractive, it will hold both the mind and the eye; my comments will be brief.
The past 50 years have seen a massive movement of Sikhs (and Sikhi) from Punjab and India out into the European and North American diaspora. Across the world, there is hardly a major city that does not have a vibrant and visible Sikh community. This clearly means Sikh families with young children who need to define and construct the umbilical cord that connects them to the Sikh cultural and religious teachings, history, practices and traditions.
I remember when I came to the United States how rare it was to find many Sikh families with young children and even harder to find an adequate booklet in English or Punjabi on Sikhs and Sikhi for their bedtime reading. Now barely a tad over 50 years later there is a whole ocean of books for Sikhs and wannabes at all ages, from the toddler to the senior citizen. Most Sikh writings for children are derived from a retelling of parables, stories and vignettes of history.
Jessi Kaur’s writings are different. She was raised in India earned her education in English literature, taught at a Delhi University College for a spell, came to the United States and now works as a human resources consultant in the Silicon valley. Her first book for Sikh children growing up in the diaspora was Dear Takuya which was followed by The Royal Falcon; The Enchanted Garden is the third in the series. 
Jessi’s material emerges from Sikh teachings and history but in the process it gets reformatted to a fictional and imaginative platform. Her narratives, Sikh at their core, are purely fictional and The Enchanted Garden is no exception. She has an uncanny knack of simply bringing to life for young readers concepts and ideas of Sikhi that often baffle people.
Jessi’s engrossment with Sikhi comes from her wide reach and long-standing engagement with youth camps all over the world, including national and international interfaith conferences; and also speaking on Sikhi at the Parliament of World's Religions in Barcelona and Melbourne. Her excellent track record includes participation in award winning documentaries on Asian and Abrahamic Religions. She is the editor of Sikhpoint.com, a Sikh site of news and views on the Internet and frequent contributor of articles on Sikhi in ethnic and mainstream newspapers.
In this book Jessi is ably and imaginatively assisted by the 19 year artist Arshia Kaur. I had to look twice at her brief bio to be sure that the mature art comes from a teenager – barely an adult. Arshia is now a caricature artist at a premier theme park. Her renderings for this book are guaranteed to catch the eye and the imagination of the very young reader, or the adult who would read to the kids.
Jessi Kaur uses her training in English literature to good purpose by casting the text of the book into verse – simple yet appealing. The poetry holds the mind. Talwandi, a sleepy little village now in Pakistan where Guru Nanak was born, has been transformed in Jessi and Ashia’s renderings into a magical place, as it has always been in Sikh consciousness worldwide for half a millennium.
Young parents need this kind of material and their kids will be shaped by it. I can’t imagine more useful bedside reading for very young Sikh children.
Click on this link to get a video teaser on: The Enchanted Garden of Talwandi - Story by Jessi Kaur
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December 30, 2013
Authored by Jessi Kaur; Illustrated by Arshia Singh; 29 pages
Published by: EthnicIsland.com, 23800 Via Del Rio, Yorba Linda, CA 92887
ISBN: 978-0-9859016-1-5
Price: $21.99
Available at www.jessikaur.com