Dayal Kaur Khalsa facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Dayal Kaur Khalsa
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Dayal Kaur Khalsa at her studio in Montreal in the 1980s
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| Born | April 17, 1943 |
| Died | July 17, 1989 (aged 46) Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
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| Alma mater | City College of New York |
| Occupation | author, illustrator |
Dayal Kaur Khalsa (born April 17, 1943 – died July 17, 1989) was an amazing American author and illustrator. She created many award-winning children's books. Dayal Kaur found her artistic talent after moving to Canada in 1970. She wrote and illustrated eight picture books in just four years. Three of these books were published after she passed away at age 46.
Contents
About Her Life
Early Years and Inspiration
Dayal Kaur Khalsa was born Marcia Schonfeld in Queens, New York. She spent her childhood days with her Grandma Shapiro. Both of her parents worked, so her grandma often looked after her. These early years with her grandmother became a big part of her stories. Her book Tales of a Gambling Grandma is especially inspired by these memories. Dayal Kaur was very sad when her Grandma Shapiro died in 1951. She was only nine years old at the time.
Education and Art
Dayal Kaur graduated from the City College of New York in 1963. She also studied art at The Arts Students League from 1964 to 1965. Even though she lived at home, she had an art space in Lower Manhattan. Here, she met many creative artists and teachers. Some of them were famous, like Roy Lichtenstein.
Around this time, Dayal Kaur was also involved in the civil rights movement. She worked for equal rights in New York and the American South. After this, she traveled to Mexico with her family. She stayed there for a while with another artist, Brian Grison.
Moving to Canada and New Beginnings
In 1970, Dayal Kaur moved to Canada with Brian Grison. Their relationship ended, but she decided to stay in Canada. She took on different jobs, like cleaning houses, to support herself. In 1974, she moved to a farm near Millbrook, Ontario. She lived there with her artist friend, Yvonne Lammerich. This farm later became the setting for her book Julian.
In 1975, Dayal Kaur left the farm and joined a women's health group in Toronto. When the group members moved to the 3HO Kundalini Yoga Ashram, she went with them. Over time, she chose to live a Sikh lifestyle. She received her new name, Dayal Kaur, from Yogi Bhajan. This name means "princess of kindness and purity."
Becoming a Published Artist
While living at the Ashram, Dayal Kaur started designing materials for 3HO. This led her to work in graphic design in the late 1970s. She also started small businesses with local artist Brian Irving.
During this time, Brian found some of her old drawings and story ideas. These were from her earlier life as "Marcia." Dayal Kaur later used these ideas in her books. She had thought her old art interests might not fit her new spiritual life.
In the early 1980s, she moved to the 3HO yoga center in Montreal.
Dayal Kaur published a short story in 1972 under her birth name, Marcia Schonfeld. But her journey as Dayal Kaur Khalsa began when she met May Cutler. May Cutler was the publisher and president of Tundra Books. May Cutler remembered her first meeting with Dayal Kaur in 1982. She said Dayal Kaur's illustrations had a strong sense of color. She could mix bright colors to create a lively and complete picture.
Dayal Kaur's first project with Tundra was a series of board books for babies. These books used her bright colors to help infants recognize objects. Her first book for older children was Tales of a Gambling Grandma. It was a huge success! It won her a big contract in America and many awards.
She worked very hard, and seven more books quickly followed. Her Canadian publisher noted how generous she was with her art. Her books often had as many as twenty-five paintings. This was much more than many other children's books. She also made sure the end pages were beautifully designed.
When asked how she found the energy to create so many stories and illustrations, she would grin. She said, "It's easy, May. I've got a deadline." Dayal Kaur Khalsa passed away at age 46 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Her Books
Dayal Kaur Khalsa created many wonderful books for children. Here are some of her most famous works:
- In the Eyes of the Women, a short story she published as Marcia Schonfeld (Carolina Quarterly, Winter 1972, pp. 15–22)
- The Baabee Books, Series I and II (Tundra, 1983)
- The Baabee Books, Series III (Tundra, 1984)
- Tales of a Gambling Grandma (Clarkson N. Potter and Tundra, 1986)
- Tales of a Gambling Grannie (In UK: MacDonald, 1988)
- I Want a Dog (Clarkson N. Potter and Tundra, 1987)
- Sleepers (Clarkson N. Potter and Tundra, 1988)
- My Family Vacation (Clarkson N. Potter and Tundra, 1988)
- How Pizza Came to Queens (Clarkson N. Potter, 1989)
- How Pizza Came to Our Town (In Canada: Tundra, 1989)
- Julian (Clarkson N. Potter and Tundra, 1989 - published after her death)
- Cowboy Dreams (Clarkson N. Potter and Tundra, 1990 - published after her death)
- Snow Cat (Clarkson N. Potter and Tundra, 1992 – published after her death)
Awards and Recognitions
Dayal Kaur Khalsa's books won many awards and honors. Here are some of them:
- The New York Times Notable Children's Book 1986: Tales of a Gambling Grandma
- New York Public Library's Best Children's Book 1986: Tales of a Gambling Grandma
- Canada Council Children's Literature Prize Honourable Mention for Illustration 1987
- Amelia Frances Howard-Gibbon Illustrator's Award Finalist 1987
- American Institute of Graphic Arts Show Winner's List 1987: I Want a Dog
- American Booksellers Association/Children's Book Council (United States) Children's Bestseller List 1988: I Want a Dog
- Canadian Children's Book Centre 1988-89: I Want a Dog
- Governor-General's Awards for Children's Illustration Finalist 1988: Sleepers
- Parent's Choice Award for Book Illustration 1988: Sleepers
- Booklist One of the Most Outstanding Picture Books of the Year 1988: My Family Vacation
Movies Based on Her Books
Some of Dayal Kaur Khalsa's books have even been made into movies!
- I Want a Dog
- Snow Cat by Sheldon Cohen, National Film Board of Canada
