The Beasts Beneath the Winds: Tales of Southeast Asia’s Mythical Creatures

Gr 3-7–This collection offers 17 captivating short stories about children and young teens encountering mythological cryptids from South Asian cultures written by notable, best-selling and award-winning authors. Each story begins with an illustrated overview of the cryptid, with quick facts about its country of origin, habitat, and defining characteristics. In Jesse Q. Sutanto’s “Melati and the Eternal Battle,” 12-year-old Melati meets the fierce Barong who is locked in a never-ending battle with the evil spirit Rangda. Melati is in the Bali jungle to retrieve her prized backpack that her classmates hid from her as a joke, including one person who she had stood up for, only to have her betray Melati and side with those bullying her. In speaking with the Barong and hearing its story about why it keeps fighting the Rangda, Melati comes to realize that standing up for those in need is never in vain. In Emma Goddard’s “Ellie Takes Flight,” Ellie and her parents fly from the United States to Indonesia to meet Ellie’s birth mother. There, she meets the Garuda, a mythical, giant beast with golden wings who gives her the courage to connect with her birth mother and take pride in being both American and Indonesian. While the stories have a magical element to them, they are grounded in realistic settings with relatable themes, such as identity, fitting in, family, and friendship.