Tall tales but no dessert: the storyteller of Karachi and his ice-cream cart library

‘We cannot expect children to want to read if we don’t read to them first’ - storytelling in the alleyways of Karachi. Photograph: Zofeen T Ebrahim/The Guardian

Pedalling down a narrow alleyway in Karachi’s crowded Lyari Town, Saira Bano slows as she passes a group of children sitting on the ground, listening to a man reading aloud from a book. The eight-year-old gets off her bike, slips off her sandals, and sits on the mat at the back.

She has already heard the story from Mohammad Noman, who is entertaining more than a dozen children with the tale of Noori, an insecure yellow parrot. “I don’t mind listening to it again,” says Saira. “He’s so funny.”