Julie Morstad’s 2021 Time is a Flower is another of her picture books that I argue is really an illustrated lyric poem, like a face is a poem.
Don’t get me wrong: some kids will like this, and those that do will like it very much. But this is really an extended metaphoric exploration of many different ways to think about time. The illustrations are varied. Some are quite literal, and largely black and white, like the early image of a clock. Others are much more complex, in color and thought, like the page with three images of a sun setting, shown only as reflections in a pair of sunglasses. Or the image of butterfly and caterpillar, which are introduced in that order.
This book is good for thoughtful kids, and for helping them think about perspectives, cause and effect, and time.
