The Invisible Parade by Leigh Bardugo & John Picacio

When I opened the part of the Hugo 2026 voter’s packet for Best Professional Artist, I did not expect to find an entire kid’s book in there! I’m so glad I did tho, as this is a gorgeously illustrated, heartfelt book about grief, culture, and learning to mourn in a healthy way.

It’s Dia de los Muertos, and Cala’s family is busy preparing for their annual festivities, culminating in a visit to the graves of their dearly departed. Cala isn’t feeling it this year tho, as her beloved grandfather has recently died and she just can’t stop being sad about it. But she goes along with everyone else, who give her space in her sorrow even as they expect her to fulfil her familial responsibilities in helping to get things ready.

But by the time they get to the graveyard that night, Cala is feeling entirely dissociated from everything, so much so that she barely pays attention to her surroundings… until she realizes that she’s lost. The graveyard is dark and confusing, and she has no idea where her family is. And then a rider comes out of the shadows…

To be completely honest, I’m not entirely sure how the Mexican Day of the Dead celebrations jive with the (highlight for spoilers) Four Horsemen Of The Apocalypse but the conceit overall works, especially in showing Cala how there are valuable lessons in goodness to be learned from even the most depressing incidents. Death might be the end of the relationship she cherished with her grandfather, but it also signals a new beginning for her to carry forward. She doesn’t need to fear Death so much that she hides from it: instead, she can learn to see it as a change in the way that she relates to those who have gone before. It’s a powerful message about not letting loss crush you, but to celebrate instead the wonderful things that shaped you while honoring those whose love made you the way you are.

I really appreciate the way that people of Mexican heritage relate to the dead, especially in comparison to predominant Western notions of either pretending the dead only exist in the past or of viewing light-heartedness as some sort of affront to the “seriousness” of death. John Picacio’s brainchild is a gentle reminder that while death may be solemn, our memories of the beloved dead should be imbued with the same warmth they gave us in life. His illustrations perfectly reflect this, as Cala moves like an island of, first, sorrow then fear, before finally understanding her place in the ongoing parade of both living and dead. Dia de los Muertos reminds people that it’s okay to be and feel more than one thing. Human beings are complicated, and shunting us into little boxes — even ones we create for ourselves — is unhealthy.

I’m really glad I got to read this book while evaluating this category. Highly recommended for anyone, particularly young people, having trouble dealing with grief or reckoning with why there are so many bad things going on in the world and how we as individuals can make a difference.

The Invisible Parade by Leigh Bardugo & John Picacio was published August 26 2025 by Little, Brown Books For Young Readers and is available from all good booksellers, including