A turtle the size of an island. A cricket that can possess you if swallowed. A giant who turns enemies to stone. The legends of Southeast Asia—or “the lands below the winds,” as explorers used to call it—are populated with a whole menagerie of colorful beasts that inspire awe and fear in equal measure. Yet, passed on as they are through story and song, so many of these stories remain rooted in some long-forgotten past and bound by the borders of the region, creatures of myth and memory and nothing more. Until now.

Welcome to The Beasts Beneath the Winds, a collection of Southeast Asia’s most elusive cryptids by a team of bestselling and award-winning authors. Within these gorgeously illustrated pages, readers will find the stories of seventeen regular kids who encounter these mythical creatures in the here and now, and—fortunately or unfortunately—live to tell the tale. 

Contributors include Hanna Alkaf , Nadia Mikail, Brandon Hoàng, Mandy Moe Pwint Tu , Moniza Hossain, V.T. Bidania, Emma Goddard, Dow Phumiruk, Erin Entrada Kelly, Gail D. Villanueva, Greg van Eekhout, Jesse Q. Sutanto, June CL Tan , Mae Respicio, Shing Yin Khor , Van Hoang, Veeda Bybee.