John Hare has now published three wordless Field Trip adventure books, and a fourth is due out in the States in the autumn of 2025.

Field Trip to the Ocean Deep is the second in the series, with the first being Field Trip to the Moon – for which the German edition, Ausflug zum Mond, won the Rattenfänger-Literaturpreis (the Pied Piper Literature Prize) in 2020/22 – and the third being Field Trip to Volcano Island.

In a submersible (underwater vehicle), a class of school children is apparently taking a field trip to the bottom of the sea. One little boy, clothed in suitable diving equipment, has taken a camera with him and is having a great time photographing all he sees, including his friends and some bioluminescent squid (as we subsequently learn they are called).

An old shipwreck soon attracts his attention and he spots a half-open treasure chest, which just has to be investigated.

When he discovers the chest’s contents are actually some live giant iospods (again this name is revealed in the information pages at the end), he falls off the wreck and lands on the ocean floor.

By this time he has become separated from the rest of the school party, which appears to be leaving without him.

But all is not lost. Among the ruins of an ancient submerged city (Atlantis?) is a huge, strange and potentially dangerous orange creature. Could it perhaps be a pliosaur – a fierce marine reptile from around 150 million years ago?

Whatever it is, our brave little photographer has no fear of it, taking its photo and even letting the creature take his picture, too.

The boy and the creature become pals, but behind them the ancient building is beginning to crack and crumble. The pliosaur then has the smart idea of placing the boy’s headlamp on a bit of broken masonry so they can see more clearly what is happening – and this helpfully guides the returning submersible.

All that is left to do now is for the boy to be reunited with his teacher, who gives him a big reassuring hug, and to impress his classmates with his amazing photos.

This well-paced story, told in full-bleed pictures with smaller panels, is a satisfying mix of fun and education. The handwritten notes on the photo ‘prints’ at the end helpfully give the names of the sea creatures. It should stimulate young readers’ imaginations not only about the ocean but also about school trips, ancient fossils, past civilisations and photography.

American illustrator John Hare grew up in Kansas. After gaining a degree in graphic design and becoming a commercial art director he switched to being a children’s book illustrator. Hare, who has written other children’s books including Duck, Duck, Goose! and Plus One,  now lives in Gladstone, Missouri.