Don't Bring Rupert To The Beach - Book Review

Don't Bring Rupert To The Beach by Christer Hägglund is about the chance meeting and shared adventure of Rupert, a Polar bear, and Dot, a jaguar. The well-illustrated book is a lite dialogue about diversity and assimilation. By accident, Rupert falls asleep on a chunk of Ice, floats away from his frosty environment, and ends up on a tropical beach. While wiggling his toes in the warm sand, he is joined by a very attractive jaguar named Dot. The two of them become friends despite their differences and vastly different environments. This warm picture book shows children and adults how to express love in various ways like respectful touch, friendly gestures, thoughtful gifts, kind words, and special times together. The book is a beautiful and heartfelt reminder that home is not merely where we live but everything that lives within us.

These two vastly different characters welcome each other as friends, but soon, problems arise.  Rupert misses his cold, snowy home, and as much as he likes Dot, he wants to go home. The Jaguar understands and helps Rupert get back to his frosty home. Dot even accompanies Rupert, and they have an exciting adventure sailing back to the North. However, once they arrive at Rupert's home, Dot discovers this environment is not to her liking, and she wants to return to her tropical island. Yet, even though they can’t assimilate to these vastly different environments, they both are determined to stay friends and find parting a painful experience.

This book talks about understanding each other better, about diversity, and facilitating meaningful ideas and conversations to foster an awareness of the experiences of different beings and habitats.

Christer Hägglund's exciting drawings vibrate with life, energy, and bring Rupert and Dot's charming adventure and exploration of each other's environments to life. The pictures are bright and will capture little reader's attention. The book will inspire children to explore and appreciate their own neighborhoods.