• Age: 3 to 7
• Grade: p to 2

A playful and poignant exploration of the nature of time through the eyes of a child from acclaimed author/illustrator Julie Morstad.

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.

 span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language:EN-US;mso-bidi-language:AR-SA">Julie Morstadspan lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language:EN-US;mso-bidi-language:AR-SA"> is an author, illustrator and artist living in Vancouver, British Columbia.  Her most recent book for children, How To, marks her authorial debut, and has received starred reviews in Kirkus, School Library Journal and Quill & Quire, as well as a Governor General's award nomination. Books she has illustrated for children include When You Were Small, recipient of the Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award; When I Was Small, winner of the Christie Harris Illustrated Children's Literature Prize; and Singing Away the Dark, which was shortlisted for a number of children's literature prizes.

Julie Morstad's profile page

• Winner, Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award
• Short-listed, Governor General's Literary Awards - Children's Literature - Illustration
• Winner, Vancouver Children's Literature Roundtable - Sheila Barry Best Canadian Picturebook of the Year Award
• Winner, Christie Harris Illustrated Children’s Literature Prize
• Short-listed, Sunshine Coast Writers and Editors Society Book Award
• Nominated, Governor General's Literary Awards - Children's Literature - Illustration

WINNER of the 2022 Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award!
Nominated for the 2022 Governor General's Literary Award for Young People — Illustrated Text
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