"Whatever your feelings about flash cards, and they can be a remarkably contentious issue, we defy you not to fall for this lovely collection of ABC cards from Julie Morstad, the illustrator of When You Were Small and Where You Came From. And there's no A is for Apple here. Instead you'll find acrobats, forts, masks and more. These cards are almost too beautiful to be kept in the appealing box they're packaged in, we'd rather use them to create an alphabet frieze in a child's bedroom.""\ Yoyomama, http://www.yoyomama.ca/2009/09/abcs/ Nylon Magazine - Rebecca Willa Davis There are some things that you've probably grown out of. And then there are those things - playing hide and seek, wearing big bows in your hair, and throwing the occasional tantrum - you'll probably never get too old for.

Which is something Julie Morstad understands. The Vancouver artist uses ink and watercolor drawings to capture both the innocence and eeriness of childhood, as showcased in her new solo exhibit at Vancouver's Atelier Gallery. From games of tag to making tents, Morstad explores the darker side of playground games (and we're not just talking skinned knees). "Being a child in the age of commoditized and marketable fairytale, my drawings reflect both an unabashed delight in the preciousness of this narrative as well as a conscious subversion of the same," explains Morstad, making clear that her work is more than just a high art version of a Disney film. - Shortlisted for the 2007 Amelia Frances Howard-Gibbon Award "Whimsical, crosshatched line illustrations" - Booklist "Delicate lines and softest of colors create a nostalgic ambience" - Quill & Quire "Gentle line drawings give a child's imagination plenty of room to roam" - Sarah Ellis,Canadian Family.