Coloring Sheets
Printable 4-page coloring sheets featuring all 4 poem illustrations for kids to color. Free to download.
About this poem
A boy on a bicycle sees a man with a turban and a beard and asks the most natural question in the world: “Are you a magician?” The poet says yes — and then discovers that the boy wants magic he can see: a bicycle that turns into a horse, a house that turns into a palace.
But the poet’s magic is a different kind. He is a magician of words, and words can put stars on a necklace, turn a hurt into a flower, and make the wind a musician. The boy understands at once, smiles, waves, and cycles out of the park — and into the poem you have just read.
Words to learn
Flip the cards to test yourself on the poem’s key vocabulary words:
What does this word mean?
ਜਾਦੂਗਰ
jaadugar
Take a guess, then flip the card.
ਜਾਦੂਗਰ
magician
Word list:
- ਜਾਦੂਗਰ (jaadugar) • magician
- ਸ਼ਬਦ (shabad) • word
- ਅੰਬਰ (ambar) • sky
- ਤਾਰੇ (taare) • stars
- ਫੁੱਲ (phull) • flower
- ਰੁੱਖ (rukh) • tree
- ਹਵਾ (hawa) • wind, air
- ਘੋੜਾ (ghora) • horse
Talk about it
- Why did the boy want a horse and a palace? What would you ask a magician for?
- The poet says he is a magician of words, not of things. What can words do that a wand cannot?
- “I can turn wounds into flowers.” What do you think the poet means?
- At the end the boy “walks into the poem”. How did that happen?
Be a magician of words
You don’t need a wand. A magician of words only needs a pencil and one ordinary thing.
- Pick something ordinary nearby: a bicycle, a spoon, a puddle, your shoes.
- Finish this line out loud: “With my words, I can turn the ____ into ____.” (A bicycle into a horse. A puddle into a mirror for the sky.)
- Say it in Punjabi if you can: “ਮੈਂ ____ ਨੂੰ ____ ਬਣਾ ਸਕਦਾ/ਸਕਦੀ ਹਾਂ।” Ask a grown-up to help with the words.
- Read the poem aloud as a pair: one person is the boy, the other is the poet. Swap parts and read it again.
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Frequently asked questions
- Who wrote “Shabda Da Jadugar”?
- The poem is by Surjit Patar (1944–2024), one of the best-loved Punjabi poets. It tells of a child he met in Medellín, Colombia, during a poetry festival.
- What age is this poem for?
- It works best read together with children around 6 and up. The story is simple enough for younger children to follow in English, and the Punjabi is conversational, so it is also a good read-aloud for learners.
- Is there an English translation?
- Yes. Every line is shown in Gurmukhi with an English translation beneath it, and you can switch to Gurmukhi only or show the Roman (transliterated) reading.