THE INVISIBLE PARADE, by Leigh Bardugo and John Picacio, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, Hardcover, $19.99 (ages 5-7)
A young girl is weighed down by grief as her family sets out to celebrate Día de Muertos in The Invisible Parade, by Leigh Bardugo and John Picacio.
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. —Synopsis provided by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
The Invisible Parade is unlike any picture book I’ve ever read.
From its cover, The Invisible Parade looks rather dark and scary. And as you get started, the tone is sad. Cala’s grief practically drips off the pages.
And then, at the moment you expect things to get really scary, humor takes its place. And it happens again, and again. Suddenly the grief doesn’t feel so heavy. Cala learns not to be afraid of death but to celebrate and remember the lives of people who are now gone instead.
The Invisible Parade is a true collaboration. The text and illustrations are perfectly married together, neither one having more impact than the other. And both dependent on the other to tell the whole story.
The story and text of The Invisible Parade is perfectly paced for reading aloud. It gives you room to explore the images while ruminating on the text.
The images, rendered in graphite, are full of emotion. Picacio’s use of color is profound. Each image is full of intricate detail and movement. And his folio image of the parade — which unfolds into a four-page width — is worthy of hanging on your wall.
The Invisible Parade is a stunning picture book. That said, it could scare kids younger than 5, especially if they don’t understand the story. This is a book that should be read, at least initially — as a family.
It’s well worth your time.
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