The Invisible Parade

by Leigh Bardugo, John Picacio, John Picacio (Artist)

Overview

Notes From Your Bookseller

On Día de Muertos, Cala is reeling after the death of her beloved grandfather. But sudden unexpected visitors send her on a daring mission in which she discovers the healing powers of grief, hope and perseverance, even in the darkest of times.

★ A National Bestseller!  ★

The picture book debut from #1 New York Times bestselling author Leigh Bardugo and World Fantasy Award winner John Picacio.

It’s time to join the party! Adventure awaits readers of all ages on Día de Muertos​ in this stunningly original and lushly illustrated tour de force about family, love, and overcoming grief.

Everyone in the neighborhood was getting ready for the party.
Everyone knew somebody on the guest list . . .
This was the day the dead returned.

There’s a party tonight, but Cala doesn’t want to go. While her family prepares for the celebration, Cala grieves her grandfather and tries to pretend she’s not afraid.

But when she is separated from her family at the cemetery, Cala encounters four mysterious riders who will show her she is actually quite brave after all.

Brimming with magic and humor, The Invisible Parade is the first picture-book collaboration between award-winner John Picacio and New York Times bestselling Leigh Bardugo. Set on the night of Día de Muertos, Cala’s story is one of love, loss, and the courage that can be found in unexpected places.

"An understated masterclass in processing grief through culture." ―Booklist, starred review

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780316295703
Publisher:	Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication date:	08/26/2025
Pages:	60
Product dimensions:	10.30(w) x 10.00(h) x 0.80(d)
Age Range:	5 - 9 Years

About the Author

Leigh Bardugo is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Familiar, Ninth House and the creator of the Grishaverse (now a Netflix original series) which spans the Shadow and Bone trilogy, the Six of Crows duology, the King of Scars duology—and much more.  Her short fiction has appeared in multiple anthologies including The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy. She lives in Los Angeles and is an associate fellow of Pauli Murray College at Yale University.

John Picacio is a World Fantasy Award– and Hugo Award–winning artist who has created book illustrations for major works by George R. R. Martin, Rebecca Roanhorse, and many more. He’s the founder of the Mexicanx Initiative, spearheading the journeys of more than forty Mexican and Mexican American creators into the wider awareness of fantasy and science fiction audiences. John lives in San Antonio.

 

Editorial Reviews

★ "A stirring story of personal and familial observance in this sweeping work... Truly captivating."—Publishers Weekly, starred review

★ "An understated masterclass in processing grief through culture."—Booklist, starred review

★ "Simply wondrous."—Kirkus, starred review

"A heartfelt journey through grief, memory, and celebration...Touching and visually stunning."—School Library Journal

From the Publisher

★ 2025-05-16
In this collaboration between bestselling YA fantasy novelist Bardugo and Hugo Award–winning illustrator Picacio, a grief-stricken girl meets four horsemen on Día de los Muertos.

Though her family is busy preparing for tonight’s party, dark-eyed, tan-skinned Cala can’t stop thinking of her recently departed grandfather. She and her family head to the cemetery; amid the graves, altars, and candles, people sing, whisper, and laugh to greet deceased loved ones. Wrapped up in the festivities, Cala loses sight of her family and soon encounters three skeletal horsemen: one sickly, one famished, one sullen-faced with a wide-brimmed hat of storm clouds. The riders argue, and Cala decides to find her family alone until a fourth rider appears: Death. With encouragement from all the horsemen—in particular, Death, who shows her the “invisible parade” of departed loved ones who are always with us—Cala discovers the courage to face her sorrow and join the party. With aplomb, Bardugo and Picacio confront the specter of death, weaving small moments of catharsis and humor into a languidly paced narrative that gives readers the time and space they need to process the complex emotions on display. In the first half, Picacio’s gorgeous graphite artwork favors lush, golden-hued movement in contrast to Cala’s stoic profile before introducing subdued yet lush purples, blues, greens, and reds right around the first rider’s appearance. The illustrator deftly introduces each rider in striking, individual double-page portraits.

Simply wondrous. (notes from the creators)(Picture book. 4-8)

Kirkus Reviews