I was initially interested in reading Laetitia Devernay’s book The Conductor because of the book’s design. The book itself is long and thin, mimicking the tree trunk on the cover. The image of the conductor waving his baton at the leaves flying around him is striking. There is no text in The Conductor, but text is not necessary because Devernay’s gracefull illustrations tell a beautiful story.
The conductor in this book discovers a grove of trees and climbs to the top of the tallest one. Then, he begins to “conduct” the leaves on the trees. The leaves gradually fly off the trees until the trees are completely bare. The leaves swirl through the sky in a variety of formations before taking their places back on the trees.
The illustrations are austere and very effective. Devernay uses a color palette of green, black, and yellow set off against a white background. These simple color choices keep the focus on the conductor and the movement of the leaves.
Because there is no text, this would not be a great choice for a group story time, but this would be a lovely bedtime story for a parent to share with a child.
Check the WRL catalog for The Conductor.
