According to Leigh Bardugo, it’s quite difficult to break into the world of children’s books. The author of the Ninth House Trilogy, the YA series (turned Netflix show) Shadow and Bone, and creator of the Grishaverse, says she, like many authors, has always fantasized about someday writing a picture book.

“This was always a path I wanted to take, but I didn’t know if I’d be able to,” Bardugo tells City Paper. “Not everybody gets to write [picture books]. I guess celebrities get to write them, but most of us mere mortals don’t.”

That changes today, Aug. 26, when Bardugo and her co-author (award-winning artist and longtime friend) John Picacio release their debut picture book, The Invisible Parade, which brings them to D.C. on Sept. 6 for the Library of Congress’ National Book Festival. Se

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