Friday, December 9, 2022

Simon and the Bear: A Hanukkah Tale

Simon and the Bear: A Hanukkah Tale
Author: Eric A. Kimmel
Publisher: Little Brown Books for Young Readers
Published: September 2020
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 40
Rating: 4/5
Summary:

Before Simon sails to America, he promises his family that he will get a job and send for them. Simon's mother knows he will need a miracle, so she reminds him to celebrate Hanukkah wherever he may be. Little does either of them know that Simon will spend the first night of Hanukkah on an ice floe after his ship sinks. The lone survivor out in the wide ocean, Simon lights the first candle, and it attracts a visitor: a polar bear.

Does she eat him? No! She shares his latkes, enjoys his songs, goes fishing for him, and even keeps him warm at night. By the last day of Hanukkah, Simon has nearly given up hope of ever being rescued. But then he recounts all of the miracles that have befallen him so far. Perhaps it is not too much to hope for one more, he thinks, as he lights all of the candles in the menorah. The bright glow signals a passing ship, and Simon makes it to New York after all. This fanciful Hanukkah tale -- like none you've ever read before -- celebrates eight miracles: family, friendship, hope, selflessness, sharing, faith, courage, and love.

Review:
First, I would like to thank the amazing team at Hachette Book Group Canada for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review!

So first I'm going to start off by saying that I think the input of the Titanic was a bit much for this story... really it could have not even been written in and the story would've been fine. Unless you've explained to you child what that time in history was, they're not really going to understand it. Especially a young child.

Other than that, I really liked the illustrations and going through the eight days between the bear and Simon. I do think that this is a story you should be reading out loud in a group. Of course it's a quick read since it's a children's book too, but I also felt like the story flowed well.

Overall, this was a good story, however there were some moments that kind of missed the mark. The illustrations were great, very detailed and the bear!

That's all for my review today, I hope you enjoyed!

So until the next time, keep reading!
Your Graduated Bookworm! :)

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