Saturday, February 24, 2007

Milk Teeth


If you are in Vancouver then lucky you, because you can go see Julie Morstad's exhibition Milk Teeth at Atelier Gallery, 2421 Granville Street, Vancouver BC V6H 3G5.

For the rest of us, you can view the works from the show at www.ateliergallery.ca

Monday, February 05, 2007

Now Playing at a Library Near You

This link makes a handy Henry finder - you can check to see if he's in residence at your local library through www.worldcatlibraries.org.
Very cool.

In love with a little-ish book...

So, Julie Morstad is pretty wonderful...I mean, her work is. I know lots of you applets are fans.
She did the beautiful drawings for Neko-my-love-Case's most recent record sleeve, and some sweet little bird tipped me off about the children's book she illustrated, called When You Were Small, which I now own and am in love with. It is a little-ish book with a little story about a boy named Henry (my most favorite boy-name, p.s.) who asks his father repeatedly "Tell me about when I was small". His dad seems to be a very creative sort with a wonderful imagination, and he regales Henry with tales of just how small he was.
It is simply one of the most quietly, perfectly-spare but lovely little picture books I have ever seen. The book's design is clean but sweet and library-like, and the drawings are charming and fragile-looking vignettes. The words are matter-of-fact in this wonderful, whimsical way.

Again, I'm smitten with the endpapers:



See how delicate and perfect?

At first I thought that the "thread" illustration was clearly my favorite...but now I think the "sleeping in a slipper" might be...

From Emily at theblackapple.typepad.com which is full of lovely things to look at and covet.

Saturday, February 03, 2007

Noted by Vancouver Public Library

WHEN YOU WERE SMALL
By Sara O'Leary
Illustrated by Julie Morstad
2006 - $19.95 - SIMPLY READ BOOKS
"When you were small, you wore a thimble for a hat," his father tells the inquiring Henry. Dad's matter-of-fact whoppers about a younger Henry are made all the more credible by Morstad's clean and elegant illustrations. A quietly beautiful production.

Golden Fuse Awards

When You Were Small named
Best Unappreciated Picture Book of the Year

Mean Magpie's favourite Canadian-designed and written book of 2006

Best book to read aloud and just look at the pictures
I submitted Sara O'Leary's When You Were Small to Quill and Quire as being my favourite Canadian-designed and written book of 2006. Fans of Neko Case may recognize the work of illustrator Julie Morstad, who also drew the cover for her Fox Confessor album. The book itself is wonderful, and if you're struggling over what to get your younger/pregnant relatives for Christmas this year, I'd suggest this. It's great.