A Single Shard
Author: Linda Sue Park
Publisher: Yearling
Copyright: 2001
Pages: 148
Reading Level: 6.2
Genre: Historical Fiction
Rating: ****

Summary:
Tree-ear is an orphan. Brought to the potter’s village after his parents died of fever, they found his relative had moved and the temple was full, so he was left with the man under the bridge they called Crane-man. The monks only intended for him to be there for a short while but when they went to get him he clung to Crane-man would leave, and they have been together ever since living under the bridge. Crane-man had a bad leg, but that didn’t stop him from hunting for food and caring for Tree-ear. As Tree-ear got older he loved to go into the city and watch the potters work, especially one named Min.
One day Min didn’t show up to make his pots on the day he usually did, so Tree-ear took the opportunity to go into his shop and take a closer look at his work he had so long admired. As he was looking at one though, Min came in and being scared Tree-ear dropped the box and broke the lid. As his payment for the box, Tree-ear agreed to work for min for nine days. Hoping that one day Min would teach him how to make pots. He was in for a different story though. Each day min had him go into the forest and chop wood for the kiln in the center of the city. He did this for nine day. On the tenth day he returned though, and he continued to work for Min. Each day was filled with various tasks, from wood cutting, to cutting the clay from the riverbeds to draining and taking the pots to be fired. Tree-ear loved to watch Min work. So each day he would come and work for him as an apprentice. Another upside was that each day Min’s wife would feed him lunch. He would save half for Crane-man each day. As the days went on he found that the bowl he placed under a rock half full would always be full again when he went to retrieve it. Well the time came the Kings master potter went around to find people to have commission. The city was in a riot. Tree-ear helped Min to bring his pots for showing, though the master pottery admired greatly the fine work of Min, another potter had done inlay work on his pots which had never been seen before. So Min was told that the master potter would love to see his work and that if Min would make his pots with inlay work, and bring it to the master potter in the Kings court, then he may have a commissions. Since Min was old Tree-ear volunteered for the job. That next fall after many long days of work, Tree-ear left Crane-man and set out to make his journey to the Kings court with the pots. Along the way though, taking it one hill one valley at time as Crane-man had said, Tree-ear was robbed and they broke the pots. Determined to take courage like the story Crane-man had told him, he found a piece of one of the pots that showed the fine inlay work, and brought it to the master potter. The master potter saw the fine workmanship and offered Min a commission and sent Tree-ear back to the potter’s village with the news. Returning with such good news for Min, Tree-ear was struck with devastating news. While he was gone, Crane-man had died. When they found his body clutched in his hand was the little monkey Tree-ear had made him as a parting gift. Min and his wife then took Tree-ear in, renamed his as their own, and like every father and son, Min began to teach him the trade of the potter. Going to cut his wood for his own wheel, Tree-ear thought of the pot he would work to perfect in remembrance of his long lost friend Crane-man. There is in Korea a great vase called the vase of “a thousand cranes” the artist is unknown.

Who would benefit from reading this?
This is a great book for all those who love history. It is a good coming of age book as well with lots of great life lessons on morals and hard work shared between Crane-man and Tree-ear.

Potential problems/conflicts:
There is a scene of violence when Tree-ear is robbed. Tree-ear can also be treated harshly by Min and others in the town because he is an orphaned.

My reaction:
This book was surprisingly pleasant, and when Crane-man died, I cried with Tree-ear. There are lots of great life lessons on morals and doing what is right shared between Tree-ear and Crane-man. It also teaches the value of hard work. A great way to learn a little more about history, but in a more personal way, also a good coming of age book as well.