FIELD TRIP TO DINOSAUR VALLEY

A class outing to the deep past nearly ends in disaster after a flying reptile steals a student’s lunchbox.

Riding a next-generation version of the Magic School Bus that not only travels in time but also sprouts very tall legs when it arrives, the students and teacher are so enthralled by the prehistoric setting rolling past that they don’t notice when one child tumbles out. Fortunately, the peckish local dinosaurs prove more willing to feed on the reclaimed lunchbox’s contents than its owner—at least just long enough to allow a last-second rescue. Unlike the classic field trip led by Ms. Frizzle, this one is more recreational than informational in character, but young readers shouldn’t have much trouble either following the storyline or identifying the brightly hued, wide-eyed dinos chowing down on pretzels, pizza, and other culinary treats in Hare’s wordless scenes. The students, at first anonymously swaddled in body suits and dark glasses, reveal themselves to be a racially diverse bunch at the end as they walk off, generously passing items from their own lunches to their errant classmate. Fans of this tale should be sure to embark on other journeys with Hare; previous outings include Field Trip to the Moon (2019) and Field Trip to the Ocean Deep (2020).

A tongue-in-cheek tribute to the spirit, not to mention the occasionally life-saving value, of sharing.