It’s rare that I’ll review just one picture book, but for this board book, “Below the Ice,” I’m making an exception because it is exceptional. Michaël Escoffier and Ella Charbon have created a brilliant board book—yes, I said brilliant—with a twist at the end worthy of any bestselling mystery novel.

I read the book, and then I went back and reread it. My 8-year-old grandson read the book, and then he went back and reread it. And he’s a gifted kid who reads “The Lightning Thief” and “Goosebumps” for pleasure. He actually read this picture book and loved it! His smile at the end of his first reading was priceless.

I can’t go into details about the twist, but the format of the book is worth noting. The pages don’t turn from right to left but rather from bottom to top. The illustrations show what is happening as an Inuit girl goes ice fishing, trying to catch a little fish. We see what is happening above and below the surface of the water as both the girl and the fish need help to accomplish their goal. The simple illustrations match the simple text in a wonderful little story with a wonderful surprise ending.

While this may be “just” a board book, and the publisher says it’s for kids 3 and up, I recommend this for students up to fifth grade. As a teacher, I’d use it to demonstrate surprise endings and how powerful a twist at the end of a story can be. Picture books and even, yes, board books, can be fabulous tools for intermediate elementary school teachers to demonstrate literary techniques. This book is a winner.

Please note: This review is based on the final board book provided by the publisher, Peter Pauper Press, for review purposes.