Grandfather and Simon the Bear in Bloomington, MN

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
?