Grandfather and Simon the Bear

by Eileen Kim, Charlene Hong White (Editor), Brandon Kim (Illustrator)

Overview

Grandfather is not your ordinary grandfather. By day, he is an apple farmer living in Korea and the father of two daughters, Yuna and Yuri, who both now live in the U.S. By night, he communes with the moon and the stars. Yet, when Grandfather meets his granddaughter, Leslie, for the first time during her summer vacation, the two do not hit it off. With wisdom to impart and little time left, Grandfather seeks help from his friend, Moon, to find a way to stay connected to Leslie and guide her through the challenges of being a Korean girl in America. In response, Moon sends for the aid of one of her residents, Simon the Bear, an adorable polar cub with a red bowtie. Simon arrives as a "teddy bear from Grandfather," but Leslie soon discovers that this teddy bear is in fact alive, and the two set off on magical adventures together! These adventures run parallel to some of Leslie's first experiences with fear, regret, grief, and shame triggered by racist encounters. Simon, dealing in both truth and wonder, helps Leslie to work through her han, the Korean concept for universal sorrow borne from injustice. With Simon by her side, Leslie learns to navigate through these complex emotions and in turn, love all of who she is - including her culture, language, imagination, and perspective. As she explores these beautiful and strange new feelings that come with being Korean-American, Leslie is asked the question we must all answer: in the face of life's heartaches, will we internalize or let go of our han?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9798765535264
Publisher:	Barnes & Noble Press
Publication date:	03/13/2022
Pages:	100
Product dimensions:	5.00(w) x 8.00(h) x 0.21(d)
Age Range:	6 - 8 Years

About the Author

EILEEN KIM is an attorney, author, activist, poet, musician, and visual artist. In addition to her work with the incarcerated, Kim has also spoken on panels, webinars, and podcasts on issues related to faith, religious trauma, mass incarceration, internalized racial oppression, and prison-industrial complex (PIC) abolition. Kim's work has also appeared in Inheritance Magazine and the online collaborative media platform, HITRECORD, including its Emmy-winning YouTube series, Create Together: Season 1 in 2020. Her first book, The Language of Abolition, was released in August 2021. She is also the proud aunt of the co-illustrators of Grandfather and Simon the Bear.

CHARLENE HONG WHITE is a performing artist with a professional background in academic writing, mental health counseling, and college ministry. She is passionate about working toward social justice to support the flourishing of all.

BRANDON KIM is a creative who collaborated with his sister for the first time for the illustrations in Grandfather and Simon the Bear. He loves to all things Star Wars, baseball, and reading comic books.

ALISON KIM is a creative who collaborated with her brother for the first time for the illustrations in Grandfather and Simon the Bear. She loves to read, draw, and spend time outdoors in nature.