Review by Erin Wilson

In a beautiful village named Shanti, meet two sisters, Chandra and Surya, who love to sing and dance. As time went on, they discovered they had a special gift that their parents felt they needed to hide. However, one summer a drought occurred and the village’s peace has been upturned. The sisters made attempts to use their special gifts to bring rain, but to no avail things got worse. In desperation, Chandra and Surya sang together and realized their gifts work best in harmony. Thus they brought rain and harmony back to their village. 

This simple picture book written in rhyme is uplifting and will be a delight to read to anyone who is interested in the concept of balance, mindfulness, and environmental issues. The illustrations bring to life the simplicity of ‘Shanti village’ set in Bangladesh that makes you feel you are there too, enjoying the outdoors. Overall, Sun Moon Secret has its own special gift to remind us all that we have our own strengths and that in collaboration with others we can create harmony in this world too. 

Shazia Omar’s note to everyone at the end of the book is, “We are healthiest when our heating and cooling energies are in harmony. Then we are balanced.” 

Title Information: Sun Moon Secret

Author: Shazia Omar 

Illustrator: Sophie Cousinie

ISBN: 978-1-946747-19-8

Publisher: Guba Books

Language: English

Date: 2023

Author Bio:

Shazia Omar is a writer, activist and yogini. She has written two novels (Like a Diamond in the Sky, Penguin 2009 and Dark Diamond, Bloomsbury 2016) and a mind, body, spirit book (Intentional Smile: A Girl’s Guide to Positive Living, Bloomsbury 2016). She writes a column for Daily Star (Kundalini Rising). When not working, writing or teaching yoga, Shazia is busy playing with her two beautiful children. www.shaziaomar.com

Instagram: @shazzyom, @dhakaflowofficial

Illustrator Bio:

Sophie Cousinié is a French artist and illustrator. She studied theatre, literature and anthropology and has previously worked in various fields, as a teacher, social worker and cultural mediator, before becoming a full time artist. Her unique drawings, hand-made with ink and painted with watercolors, range from animal portraits to representing humans in ordinary life situations. Sophie has done exhibitions and live drawing events in France and England and has also taken part in an international artistic residency in Kolkata, India.

Reviewer Bio:

Erin Wilson currently works as a Teacher Librarian in Dhaka, Bangladesh and has worked internationally for 10 years in the following countries; China, India, and now Bangladesh. She has vast experience working in diverse cultures from Native American students to inner-city students and the international community. Her other passion lies in studying Asian dances. Currently she is focused on Odissi classical dance, and uses this dance vocabulary for storytelling in the library to actively engage children. It’s never boring in the library. 

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