A lot of books that you read in childhood are about visiting far away lands. But the main characters always want to find their way home if they don’t know the way already. Visiting new places is fun, but at the end of the day, you want to be in your own surroundings.
Author Christer Hagglund has tapped into this idea of homesickness in his picture book, Don’t Bring Rupert to the Beach. In it, his main character wakes up in a mysterious land and, while he is curious about this new place and the new friend he has made, he essentially just wants to go home. Below is my review of Don’t Bring Rupert to the Beach along with an interview with Hagglund.
Don’t Bring Rupert to the Beach plot summary
Rupert is a polar bear from the north who falls asleep while fishing and drifts south. When he wakes up, he’s on a tropical island. There, he meets Dot the jaguar. The two become friends, but Rupert misses home. So, Dot sails him home on her boat. When they get back to Rupert’s home, Dot finds herself homesick for the beach and sails home. But the two make plans to visit each other now that they know the way to each other’s homes.
The story
Don’t Bring Rupert to the Beach is a 60-page picture book, but it’s a fast read with just one sentence per page. The story covers a lot of literal ground within those 60 sentences. But it remains simple and clear as it explores the idea of travel, home, and friendship. There are only two characters in the entire book, and this helps to keep the story focused.
Rupert’s new friend Dot is the complete opposite of Rupert. But they use their differences to their advantage to explore each other’s homelands and teach each other different skills. It’s their differences that they like about each other and their enthusiasm toward each other’s cultures and lifestyles. And while neither can imagine leaving home, they find a way to make their long distance friendship work.
The illustrations
The book’s illustrations are a great compliment to the story. They too are simple and fill up most of each page with bright, friendly characters and simple backgrounds and accessories with a lot of bordering white space that keeps the drawings clean and eye catching.
Rupert and Dot are very animated characters with big, cartoonish eyes and friendly body language that make very cute and innocent. Rupert’s blue contrasts well with Dot’s yellow, yet they have similar body types with round middles and human-like digits that gesture wildly as the two interact and get to know each other and their environments.
I especially love Dot’s boat made of logs and a quilted sail. It’s one of those iconic childhood images that reminds you of outdoor play and building objects from scratch. And it’s Dot’s ingenuity that gets Rupert home.
My recommendation
I recommend Don’t Bring Rupert to the Beach to a wide age group from toddlers to early readers. The book is great for older kids learning to read and sharing books with their younger siblings. The story is easy to comprehend for younger readers yet can still be appreciated by older readers.
My only criticism is that I feel that it ends a bit abruptly. We don’t get to see a reunion between the two friends, despite the fact that it’s apparent that Dot will be coming back. But I love their method of communicating through messages in bottles. And it shows that when we want to be with people, we will find a way to do it, no matter how far the distance.
My rating
An interview with Christer Hagglund
How long did it take you to write and draw the book?
I did the sketching and wrote rough ideas on paper when walking in the mountains for a month. Then it was about 1.5 months in front of the Cintiq drawing board to finalize it.
Were you inspired by any other picture books?
Coming from Sweden, it is impossible to not be forever inspired by Astrid Lindgren. But my favourite childhood pictures come from Rune Andréasson , creator of Bamse. My parents read all of the comics to me and my brother. So, fond childhood memories.
Would you rather live with Rupert in the north or Dot in the south?
Since Rupert is a bit based on me, I have to say the north. I usually walk outside in the winter in shorts and t-shirt.
Did you write this book for anyone in particular?
While up in the mountains, I was sitting in small wooden cabins at night listening to stories from people from all corners of our wonderful globe. This gave me the inspiration to write about the polar bear Rupert and his incidental travel to a warm and sunny place. What is strange to one animal could be totally normal for another creature. And still, two very different animals can be the best of friends.
Do you have a favorite page?
Yes. Rupert is really missing his snow and Dot gives him a hug.
How did you come up with the designs for the characters?
I have tried a few different styles, but really liked the look of the Owl books. Wanted to make them even more light and whimsical. I gave myself a week to just play around with the look and feel before going ahead with the illustrations.
What advice do you have for readers to help them cope with homesickness?
Swedes can just go to Ikea when getting struck by homesickness. So, my suggestion is to find your home cuisine and share it with friends. Food makes everything better and brighter.
Can we expect to see Rupert and Dot in another book?
Yes. I am working on a Christmas book at the moment with Rupert. Aiming to be finished in December. So stay tuned.
Author links
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Loving these cute and colorful illustrations!
Ooooh I love that this is a very interactive children’s book. It is a bummer that the illustrations were not the best. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!