The window to why must be flung open more often in children. While answers rein in don’ts, in questions, dreams are owned. Of all the folktales we read, there’s always a special place for pourquoi or origin tales. Monster tales, apart from their effortless condensing of our fears into one fireball for a hero to rise and destroy, remind us of origins — of people and their worlds. Musharraf Ali Farooqi’s Monster Folktales from South Asia (HarperCollins) links us to smaller worlds in Gilgit, Balochistan, Sindh and farther away. Most importantly, they repose trust in the glorious belief that every monster will come to a “dastardly end”.

The author speaks about the aspirational responsibility when addressing a child reader and how he wants them to be their own heroes to fight  off monsters. His book is a specimen of the idea he shares in the introduction — good stories can be read and relished at all stages of literacy.