What is time? Is it the tick tick tock of a clock, numbers and words on a calendar? It's that, but so much more. Time is a seed waiting to grow, a flower blooming, a sunbeam moving across a room. Time is slow like a spider spinning her web or fast like a wave at the beach. Time is a wiggly tooth, or waiting for the school bell to ring, or reading a story . . . or three! But time is also morning for some and night for others, a fading sunset and a memory captured in a photo taken long ago.
In this magical meditation on the nature of time, Julie Morstad shines a joyful light on a difficult-to-grasp concept for young readers and reminds older readers to see the wonders of our world, including children themselves, through the lens of time.
A 2021 New York Times/New York Public Library Best Illustrated Children's Book
A New York Public Library Best Book for Kids (2021)
A Toronto Public Library's "First and Best 2021" Book Pick
A Booklist Top Ten Picture Books Selection
"An exploration of the concept of time is a daunting premise for a children's book, but Morstad pulls it off with panache. Her warm, friendly renderings in pencil, marker and ink distill the book's abstract ideas with ingenuity and simplicity." --New York Times
"[You're] in sure hands with Julie Morstad, one of the most gifted artists making picture books today." --Mac Barnett, author of The Wolf, The Duck, and the Mouse and the Shape Trilogy
"Thoughtful metaphors and diverse characters take viewers through the manifold dimensions of time. . . . This exuberant vehicle will expand the thinking of those just beginning to comprehend clocks and calendars." --STARRED REVIEW, Kirkus Reviews
"A conceptual meditation, winsome and enigmatic." --STARRED REVIEW, Publishers Weekly
"A fascinating way to think about the passage of time." --STARRED REVIEW, Booklist
"Both cozy and conceptual - a difficult balance to strike - Time Is a Flower by Julie Morstad is an absolute delight." --STARRED REVIEW, Quill & Quire
"Morstad's crisp, fine-lined illustrations convey a hushed and wondrous tone. Her spreads are uncluttered and spacious, with grayscale pencil drawings of children and colors that pop off the page." --BookPage
"Time is a Flower is another elegant production from Julie Morstad's endless imagination." --Imaginary Elevators
"Morstad's detailed images capture the movement of time from a child's point of view, while giving readers of all ages a chance to reflect on the cycle of life." --Postmedia