george bernard shaw said make it a rule never to give a child a book you would not read yourself but here lies the dilemmanot all books that a parent or a grownup would like to read are of interest to a child and vice versa so finding one that can be a delight for both isnt an easy task however on rare occasions we come across a book that can be as enjoyable a readaloud experience for parents as it is an entertaining and enlightening read for children and thats why om the gnome and the chanting comb and sunrise moonrise by author trishla jain are so much more than just illustrated books for children trishla a young mother of two started meditating at the age of eight and dancing with literature at 18 the author who is also a talented artist is inspired by spirituality and her worksboth art and literatureare a reflection of her deeprooted faith my books bring modern spirituality to life through simple words writes trishla in the authors note of om the gnome and the chanting comb true to her words the book combines her love of indian philosophy with her knowledge of western literature which she was exposed to during her days at stanford university in california where she fell in love with english literatureboth the books start with a challengein sunrise moonrise the readers have to spot the lotus the compass and the fish on every page and in om the gnome and the chanting comb trishla urges children to find the feather the mouse and the ladybug on every page as you learn to chant om just like a sage the light and magical narration by trishla is beautifully supported by the exquisite and lucid illustration by tahirah powell the protagonist of om the gnome is a gnome named om the story weaves around this affable gnome who receives a magical comb as a birthday gift from his grandmother but little does he know that the comb will be a source of an important life lesson the book unpacks the magic behind the beautiful sound of om and one of the lines om untangles all my knotsinside and out is both metaphorical for adults as it is magical for childrenin sunrise moonrise each page contains a quatrain which together sums up the journey of the sun and the moon which they undertake to find out how people from different cultures and faiths pray this book besides being a great way for parents to start a beautiful conversation about prayer and purpose with children can also be the first experience of kids to learn about poetic techniques like rhymes and quatrain the literary devices and their clever execution clearly illustrate trishlas expertise in the language and her eye for details her words in sunrise moonrise are brought to life by the fascinating illustration by kirstin eggersalso lets not forget that while the children immerse themselves in the magical world of a gnome