Billie and Bean at the Beach

This sweet book, originally published in Swedish in 2020, is a story about a little girl, her dog and an adventure at the shore.

The start to the beach day is a slow one as Billie, a rather rotund child shown in a stripey one-piece bathing suit, indicates that her preferred activity would be to spend the afternoon lying on a blanket in the shade. She refuses to be drawn by the excited antics of her small blob of a black dog (named Sausage, not Bean, in the Swedish version!) which frolics vigorously in the sand and water until he is tired out.

When her mother finally coaxes Billie into wading into the (very cold) sea, things go from ho-hum to worse.

Mom thinks Billie should go for a swim too.

SUDDENLY SOMETHING REALLY HURTS!!

Billie has been stung by a jellyfish. Now she wishes she hadn’t tried.

Mom helps Billie out of the water.

Billie gets band-aids for the red marks, even though

they aren’t bleeding.

Does this unfortunate event mean Billie is off the hook and able to spend the rest of the afternoon lolling on the blanket? No, Mom is prepared to soothe away the pain with some hugs, but she also does not want Billie to give up on going back into the water. When Bean brings over a snorkeling mask that he has dug up, Mom convinces her daughter to be brave and try again.

When Billie ducks under the waves, the tone of the story changes immediately for she discovers a magical world down below.

Beneath the surface everything is calm. The only

sounds are bubbles and swishes. Billie finds an

underwater garden full of shells and stones and all

sorts of creatures – little fish, prawns and crabs.

Down at the bottom something glitters.

There is no further elaboration as to what that mysterious shiny object is, not here and not at the end of the book where readers see Billie walking home in the dusk holding hands with Mom, “with a secret in her hand”.

Simple illustrations, done in pencil and watercolour, provide a warm, misty canvas for this tale of a child conquering her fears. Billie’s reluctance to enter the water and her upset after the jellyfish sting are palpable in her body language and facial expressions. She seems to walk with more authority when she comes out of the waves after her successful snorkeling expedition. There are amusing touches, such as the rear view of Mom as she bends over the beach bag, and Billie’s windmilling arms to show her level of distress after the jellyfish sting. Bean is a doggy delight, rolling and frisking through the sand. The two spreads which show the underwater kingdom have a dark, enveloping feel.

Although I found the ending a little puzzling (What IS that glowing object in Billie’s hand?), Billie and Bean at the Beach presents a pleasant story with a little hidden lesson about taking a second chance and is suitable for primary summer-themed bookshelves.