The Conductor

by Laëtitia Devernay

Pairing two seemingly disparate elements—an orchestra conductor and a grove of trees—award-winning artist Laetitia Devernay herself orchestrates a visual magnum opus. Her spare yet intricate illustrations truly appear to take flight before our eyes, and her wordless narrative nearly roars with sound as the conductor prompts the leaves to rustle, then whirl, then swirl to unexpected life with each turn of the page. It is a celebration of creativity, imagination, storytelling, and the renewing power of nature that will entrance readers of every age.

Genres: Picture Books, Music, Childrens, Art, Nature, Fiction, Graphic Novels

72 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

Laetitia Devernay is an award-winning French illustrator and artist. She is the author of several beloved books for children.

Reviews

[Jon Nakapalau · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very original book about what can best be described as a creative force that conducts elements of nature into a unified force. Unique and innovative; if you know a small child who is interested in music this would be a very good book to read to/with them. The abstract nature of the art really adds to the story.

[Marsha · Rating 5 out of 5]

In a wordless tale of transformation, the illustrator provides a wondrous tale of two odd juxtapositions: a musical conductor and a stand of silent trees. There is no music but there is the rapture of watching one form of life altered into something completely different.

I could almost hear the rustle of trees turned into the feathered flutterings of birds…and I found myself smiling at the sight of the conductor leaving behind an indelible mark of himself. Simple yet elegant, brilliant yet shown in plain colors of black, green and pale yellow, The Conductor is an art piece cleverly disguised as a children’s book.

[Christine Turner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pairing two seemingly disparate elements an orchestra conductor and a grove of trees award-winning artist Laetitia Devernay herself orchestrates a visual magnum opus. Her spare, yet intricate, illustrations truly appear to take flight before our eyes and her wordless narrative nearly roars with sound as the conductor prompts the leaves to rustle, then whirl, then swirl to unexpected life with each turn of the page. It is a celebration of creativity, imagination, storytelling, and the renewing power of nature that will entrance readers of every age.

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rarely does a picture book connect with me so intensely, but this one is just breathtaking. Perhaps it's the art, earth-connection, and musical thread - who knows. Let's just say that after I read it, I was compelled to buy a copy for my own personal library.

[Tasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

This wordless picture book is tall and narrow, just like the trees featured within. A man enters a forest of trees that are shaped like lollipops with long trunks and round tops. He climbs to the very top of one tree and raises his hands. Suddenly, birds start to appear, formed from the leaves of the trees. They fly off leaving holes in the tree leaves shaped like them. The leaf patterns are on their wings and they fly above the conductor in a variety of formations. Until eventually they are gone, and all that are left are the blank trees. The man climbs down and plants a seed that quickly grows into a tree. As he is planting, the birds return to the trees, covering them once again in leaves. The man leaves the forest just as he has found it, but with one more small trees. It’s a beautiful look at the environment and the impact humans can have if they choose.

Read the rest of my review on my blog, Waking Brain Cells.

[Karen A. · Rating 4 out of 5]

MC. Escher meets Edward Gorey plus happiness. I think this is a lovely quiet book and will give all ages pause to ponder...in a good way. Beautiful illustrations.

[Drew Graham · Rating 2 out of 5]

There's this conductor and he has this baton and occasionally he waves it and the leaves turn to birds and fly away.

I saw this sitting in the board books at the library and thought it looked like one of those artsy children's books that everyone ends up loving, child or otherwise. Well... I didn't love it. There wasn't much of a story (there's nothing really wrong with a wordless book, this one just didn't have much to even narrate), there was a lot of repetition (there's likewise nothing really wrong with repetition in a children's book, but this seemed like some of the pages were actually cut-and-paste), and I thought the monochromatic color scheme was kind of tedious (again, there's nothing really wrong with monochromatic colors, but the choices in this seemed bland and dated). Music and art in one, I thought, this must be the picture book for me! Not so much. I'm sure the artist thought they were being profound and whatever, but it didn't resonate with me.

[Michael Duffey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an interesting book. There are no words only pictures of a conductor, who shows the reader a play of leaves turning into birds and then back again. The age level intended is PreK-2. This book could be tied into a Visual Arts or Music curriculum. Personally, I like flipping through the pictures of the book because they were somewhat abstract but fun to look at. If I were to present this to a class, I would do so while playing classical music. That way the students would be able to follow along with the music and use their imaginations.

[Mary Beth Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story is told without words. It is the tale of the conductor who plants, inspires, creates and conducts - all told through simple elegant illustrations. In many ways, this is the work of the leader - to conduct an alignment and then conduct it again and again. This is a thin but tall book that is big in its idea and one I gave as a gift to one who has inspired me.

[Christiane · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't know what kids will make of this wordless book about a conductor who "conducts" a forest of leaves/birds, but I really loved it! Even the shape of the book is very appealing, tall and narrow like a tree.

[Shelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wordless picture book artistic fun! When I "read" this book to my daughter I made up a silly story to go with each page. Beautiful illustrations that can inspire your inner artist to pick up a pen and get creating.

[Holly Mueller · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked this one up at the book sale at the Dublin Lit Conference. Its unique design was irresistable! I loved the magical tale of a conductor climbing the tallest tree and conducting an orchestra of leaves that take flight. Beautiful illustrations.

[Amy Adams · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a beautiful wordless story. It allows for some excellent imaginative storytelling and play. The illustrations are full of life. I love the details in each illustration. This would be great for anyone!

[Sharlene · Rating 4 out of 5]

the illustrations are beautiful. As you turn each page, it goes from silent to a full on symphony. You can almost hear the music with every page.
I love the page where the conductor takes a bow. it's perfect.

[Izzie Flynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute idea but waste of a good tree.

[Mrsculpepper · Rating 5 out of 5]

amazing pictures and a really compelling story. I love wordless picture books and this is one of the most gorgeous ones I've seen.

[Theediscerning · Rating 3 out of 5]

Is it foliage, or is it a load of birds? When a conductor climbs a tree and strikes up with his baton, whatever it is takes to the skies, flaps about a bit, and everyone appreciates it, the end. That 'everyone', by the way, is supposed to be us, for there are no other characters in the story than the conductor and the birds. Except I found this a bit too much 'emperor's new clothes' to really appreciate - it was a nice, Escheresque idea visually for a while, and went on too long before changing tack somewhat at the end. An intriguing wordless piece, but no great shakes.

[Kelly · Rating 2 out of 5]

Using only illustrations, this book allows the reader to use their own imagination to create a story. But I was still a little confused as to what type of story there should have been to go with the illustrations.

[Misbah · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of those books that speak volumes without ever uttering a word. Simple yet so beautiful.

A conductor stands on top of a tree and brings the leaves around him to life, encouraging to take flight with a wave of his baton.

[Jvermeersch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eén van de meest memorabele boeken voor mij, net omdat het erin slaagt om een verhaal te vertellen puur met tekeningen, zonder enig woord. Over een dirigent, een melodie, en het soort gebeurtenissen waarbij je zo onder de indruk bent dat er even niets anders rondom je lijkt te bestaan.

[Janet · Rating 2 out of 5]

I recently read this French illustrator’s recent 2024, See This Little Dot written by Jane Yolen and enjoyed the illustration very much. This wordless title while about trees and birds is not pleasing to me.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stunningly beautiful illustrations. I’m so sad this book is out of print now.

[Danielle Joseph · Rating 2 out of 5]

Creative, but repetitive.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved the portrayal of music in this wordless picture book. No words or sounds but you can see the music. Beautiful

[Caitlin Holm · Rating 5 out of 5]

Truly beautiful.

[Lyla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow. I felt like I could hear the music coming out of these pages, and the illustrations were magical. This book was fantastic.

[Eyliune · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un magnifique ouvrage avec un format très original, les illustrations sont très poétiques.

[Mariana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hermoso relato para mirar

[Ryan Scharf · Rating 5 out of 5]

Genre: Picture book, specifically wordless picture book
Awards: None
Audience: Ages 5 to 9
A: "The Conductor" fulfills the genre of a wordless picture book very easily due to the fact that there are no words and only illustrations. This work is purely pictures of a young boy on top of trees in nature.
B: One of the visual elements I noticed immediately was perspective and shape. The young boy is extremely small compared to the trees and the birds. I believe Devernay did this on purpose so that the children would focus on the nature aspect of this work and see the fine detail of the birds and trees. I also noticed the shape of the trees. They were all very round, which gave much more of a positive and welcoming sensation compared to if the trees were jagged and angular.
C: I personally would love for this book to be read in a one on one scenario, maybe even as a bedtime story. A group reading does not do this finely detailed work justice. I would want to point to the trees, have my child feel and touch the trees, and then I'd explain what this young boy is doing. I feel like this book would be to teach a concept as well as to demonstrate that nature is a beautiful aspect we are provided and that we are actually pretty small when it comes to being compared to nature.
D: Regarding Bloom's Taxonomy, specifically the "Remember" column, a question I would ask would be, "When all the birds leave the young boy, what does the young boy decide to do?" The answer would be, "That the young boy plants another tree."

[Elaine Bearden · Rating 3 out of 5]

ages 4-10 and up
Wordless, tall thin book with black/white/green illustrations. Telling the story or rather, sharing a moment when a conductor fantastically climbs a tree and begins conducting. All of the leaves turn into flying birds/butterflies and swirl and fly together across the pages. It does not focus on one leaf or a set of leaves. Instead, the illustrations are more about the conductor's effect on a group of trees, metaphorically speaking. Hmmm. It is interesting. And it would be interesting to get kids talking about this. It doesn't feel as developed as it could be. Why does the conductor plant his baton? What if he had given it to someone else instead. (And why, for that matter, must it always need to be a man conductor (opposed to a woman?) End of soapbox :) Coudl be interesting to get kids to write a story about what they think happens.