Some board books really stand out from all the rest and A Pile of Leaves is one of them. Recently released this month in the US, A Pile of Leaves introduces children to the idea of a collage, to layering objects, and to transparency. When a child initially opens the book the leaves are piled on top of each other, yet you can't feel them all, and they seem hidden, as if under a layer of ice. It isn't until you start turning the pages that the pile gradually comes apart, or is put back together.

What strikes me most about the book is that there really is no front or back. If a child flips through the book from left to right it looks as though the leaves are blowing away, but if you flip through the pages right to left, it's as if the leaves are slowly falling.

The book is not without its surprises either. Like any good leaf pile, there always seems to be a lost something in the mix. Is that a mitten I see? Can you find the key?

A beautifully put together book and its own work of art -- I hope your little one(s) enjoy it.