But why? [The Night Monster by Sushree Mishra]

This hardcover picture book about a child's night-time fears combines the hauntingly beautiful illustrations of Sanket Pethkar with Sushree Mishra's thoughtfully chosen words, to create a story that's relatable and unforgettable. The epistolary elements with a lift-the-flap feature are sure to make this a favorite amongst librarians and young children alike.

Not entirely a picture book and not entirely children's fiction, Sushree Mishra's The Night Monster tells the story of a child reconciling his fear of the night with the beautiful reality around him. With fantastic illustrations from Sanket Pethkar, the story is beautifully and succinctly told in about 20 pages. What I don't understand is why this is listed as children's fiction. Sure, that's generally appropriate, but the audience would seem to be an adult one.

Young Avi visits his older sister Swati for help and comfort as it relates to his fears of the would-be night monster. At some point she suggests he write letters to the monster, but then the book ends with the reveal that his sister had (obviously) been the one writing as the monster. Seemingly the story would be marketed to (younger) children to help them relate to overcoming their fears. But I just don't know how a story about a child being swindled by their sibling would help them in that sense. Save that one point I otherwise enjoyed the book. 4 stars from me.