Laetitia Devernay

The Conductor by Laëtitia Devernay is a wordless picture book that reminds me very favorably of the sunset chapter in The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster. There Milo learns how to conduct the colors of the sky into a sunset (and makes a few mistakes along the way) and here, a well practiced conductor turns leaves into birds and back again.

Published originally in France, it was released in 2011 by Chronicle books. As the only word in the entire book is the title, it would be silly to say it was "translated."

The artwork is done with delicate and precise lines and shades of green. The style is similar to Escher — though more organic. The illustrations are suitable for framing. If I were ever to find a beat up copy where the spine was beyond repair, I would rescue the leaves and frame them. They would make a perfect series of framed pieces for a hallway, stair well or similar space.… (meer)