Field Trip to the Ocean Deep (Field Trip #2)

The ocean’s depths offer extra wonders to a child who is briefly left behind on a class trip.... A quick but adventuresome paddle into a mysterious realm.

Hare's follow-up to Field Trip to the Moon again features a compelling setting, a not-too-scary adventure, and immersive illustrations. . . . The appealing acrylic illustrations are painterly and impressively atmospheric, and exhibit a strong command of spot lighting; fans of the previous field-trip story will be pleased to see allusions to it, including character cameos and a glimpse of the space bus.

Gr 1-3—In Hare's follow-up to Field Trip to the Moon, a class visits the depths of the ocean in a yellow submarine. Once they arrive, they suit up in silver diving suits with oxygen tanks, like contraptions from a Jules Verne novel. One student takes pictures of all he sees with a deep-sea camera. Seeing things only through this lens, he becomes separated from the group. Exploring on his own, he is crawled upon by friendly giant isopods, cockroachlike creatures similar to the insect companion in Wall-E. He befriends a giant sea creature. And he accidentally topples some underwater ruins. Don't worry, he and his Pliosaur friend rebuild them shortly before his teacher returns to claim him. The teacher—depicted on the cover—is Black, and the lost student is as well, although his face isn't seen until the final page. The whole class is concealed in their opaque dive suits for the entirety of the story. Hare's artwork is ingeniously composed and brilliantly colored, which is necessary for a wordless tale. The divers have spotlights on their helmets, which beautifully illuminate the dark waters of the ocean floor. The mythical Pliosaur is a rich red and orange color that exquisitely contrasts the deep sea blues. At the end, the student presents his photographs, which show the various creatures from the young photographer's perspective. Back matter includes an illustrated cross-section of the submarine and the diving suit, sure to set little engineers' minds ablaze with creativity. VERDICT This book is a gateway to a sublime submarine journey for all, an imaginative must-have for every collection.—Chance Lee Joyner, Haverhill P.L., MA

Copyright 2021 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

A perfectly paced paean to imagination, Hare's auspicious debut presents a world where a yellow crayon box shines like a beacon.

The cast of this wordless picture book is as rounded and friendly as a Playmobil adventure set, and with simple backdrops that can easily inspire paper and crayon crafts, group play and storytelling are natural offshoot activities.—Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

Praise for Field Trip to the Moon

A close encounter of the best kind.—Kirkus Reviews

★ [The] sly but easy-to-follow linear narrative is told through a well-paced mix of panels (circular, horizontal, and vertical), full-pages, and double-page spreads, with pops of color (the yellow of the school bus-like space-ship, the color-filled crayon box) that are highly effective. The moon creatures, despite their minimalist features, are very expressive, as is the child—whose face remains hidden behind a space-mask until the last page.—The Horn Book, Starred Review

★ Hare's picture book debut is a winner. . . . His gray yet surprisingly detailed moonscape is both the setting and a character in its own right; his depiction of the aliens as gray humanoids amazed by color is genius. A beautifully done wordless story about a field trip to the moon with a sweet and funny alien encounter; what's not to like? —School Library Journal, Starred Review

A perfectly paced paean to imagination, Hare's auspicious debut presents a world where a yellow crayon box shines like a beacon.—Booklist

A clever and noteworthy tale of lunar adventure.—Publishers Weekly