Simon and the Bear: A Hanukkah Tale

Simon leaves his family to go America. He gets the last ticket, but the ship crashes into an iceberg. He helps everyone into the lifeboats, then lets a man can get in instead of him. Then Simon jumps onto the iceberg when the ship sinks. It is the first night of Hanukkah, and he sees a ghostly polar bear swimming towards him! He shares his latkes with the bear, and the bear keeps him warm during the night. She brings him fish in the morning. He stays on the iceberg with the bear for a week. But he is hoping for an eighth miracle. Then the polar bear jumps into the sea, and some boats come and rescue him. He tells his family that miracles aren’t just for the Maccabees, but for anyone even at the darkest of times.

I like it because it’s about a boy that helps everyone and he’s really nice. He believes in God and he believes in miracles, and he helps bring peace. I really like the pictures in the book. They are funny. My favorite is where the bear is sticking out her tongue because she doesn’t want to eat Simon’s eggs!