Courtesy Photo / Little, Brown
Picture book The Invisible Parade is co-written by San Antonio’s John Picacio with best-selling author Leigh Bardugo. It also features artwork by Picacio.
San Antonio-based John Picacio, an award-winning visual artist known for work tied to George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series, has made his published debut writing and illustrating the same work.
Picacio co-wrote the forthcoming picture book The Invisible Parade with Leigh Bardugo, best-selling author of the Shadow and Bone trilogy, which was adapted into a two-season Netflix show. Picacio also illustrated the new book, which will be released Sept. 2 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers and is now available for pre-order.
Set against the backdrop of Día de Muertos, The Invisible Parade follows a young girl named Cala, who’s grieving the death of her grandfather. Along the way, she meets the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse — each of whom imparts a vital lesson.
Described as “The Wizard of Oz set in a graveyard,” the book makes use of Picacio’s dynamic, color-rich artwork to weave a story that can help guide children through difficult times, according to Little, Brown.
“I grew up in the Northwest part of town, near Randy’s Ballroom, back when The Empire Strikes Back was new and you could tune in Channel 5 at midnight for vintage horror films on Project Terror,” Picacio told the Current. “Comic books were everything to me back then. Still love ’em. So although The Invisible Parade is my first picture book, storytelling has always been in my blood — even though most of my career has been creating cover art for major science fiction, fantasy and horror books.”
A World Fantasy Award and Hugo Award winner, Picacio has devised book covers for authors including Rebecca Roanhorse and fellow Texans Michael Moorcock and Joe R. Lansdale. His work has also appeared on the cover of the Current.
Picacio also is the founder of the Mexicanx Initiative, which helped catapult more than 40 Mexican and Mexican American creators into wider awareness with fantasy and science fiction audiences.
Since Día de Muertos is a familiar part of South Texas culture, Picacio said he expects The Invisible Parade to resonate with Alamo City readers.
“Hundreds of thousands of people in San Antonio commemorate Día de Muertos when the season arrives,” he said. “Maybe it’s a small ofrenda, framed photos and a single candle — or a larger, all-out gathering with family and food — but it’s an important time when we remember and connect. It’s not Mexican Halloween, and we understand that here.”
Although the picture book is targeted to kids, Picacio said he sees it as an all-ages experience that doesn’t flinch from the important subject matter at its core.
“The Invisible Parade is a rebel book. The publishing industry conventionally dodges discussing death in picture books,” Picacio said. “But I’m Mexican American, and my culture doesn’t shy away from it. And neither does this book that Leigh and I have created. Our story isn’t about dying or wanting to die. It’s about being alive and learning how to handle grief. The occasion of remembering the departed makes us more present, and value life even moreso. And I think that will come through when people experience this story.”
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