Simon and the Bear

Simon sets sail from the old country for America with a knapsack his mother has packed with food, a menorah, a box of candles, matches, a dreidel, "and plenty of latkes." "Wherever you are, Simon," she tells him, "don't forget to celebrate Hanukkah and its miracles. Who knows? You may need a miracle on your long journey. When his ship hits an iceberg, Simon offers his place in the lifeboat to a man in a fur coat who's traveling to join his son in New York. Simon jumps off the sinking ship onto the iceberg on the first night of Hanukkah, so he lights the menorah and prays for a miracle. Soon a friendly polar bear appears, catches fish for him, and keeps him safe and warm. When a ship spots his candle on the last night of Hanukkah, he's rescued and reaches New York, where he reunites with the man in the fur coat. The man happens to be the mayor of New York, who pays to have Simon's family come to America with first class tickets, and gives Simon a job as polar bear keeper of the Central Park Zoo.