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. 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. This fanciful Hanukkah tale celebrates eight miracles.

Author Biography

Eric A. Kimmel was born in Brooklyn, New York, and decided in kindergarten that he wanted to be an author someday. He has published close to 150 books, many of which have won prestigious awards, such as the Caldecott Honor Medal (Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins, illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman), and the Sydney Taylor Picture Book Award (The Chanukkah Guest, illustrated by Giora Carmi, and Gershon's Monster, illustrated by Jon J Muth). He is a five-time winner of the National Jewish Book Award and received the Sydney Taylor Lifetime Achievement Award from the Association of Jewish Libraries. Eric and his wife, Doris, live in Portland, Oregon. Matthew Trueman grew up in northern Italy and returned to the States to attend the Ringling School of Art and Design, where he earned a B.F.A. in illustration. He has done magazine and advertising work and has illustrated several award-winning children's books, including When the Chickens Went on Strike, Noah's Mittens, and A Picture for Marc. He works from a studio in his home by the Delaware River, where he lives with his wife, Anna, and their daughter, Mina.