A Single Shard

Title: A Single Shard
Author: Linda Sue Park
Publisher: Random House Children’s Books
Copyright: 2001 by Linda Sue Park
Ages: 9-12
Pages: 192
Genre: Historical Fiction

Summary:
Tree-Ear is an orphan who lives under the bridge with his friend Crane-man in Korea. They take care of each other and today Tree-Ear brings rice home. A man taking his rice to market had a hole in his sack and the rice fell out. After waiting for the man to round the corner, he caught up to him and told him about the hole, he was then able to scoop the rice off the ground and take it home to Crane-man. Crane-man is crippled and cannot do many of the tasks that are required so Tree-ear does them.
Tree-ear greatly enjoys watching the potters create new things, but his favorite is Min. Every throwing day he goes to watch him. Min will often make several of the same pot and then destroy them all because they are not good enough. But because Min desired perfection, he was the greatest potter in the region.
Several days after his last visit, he goes back to Min’s but discovers that he is not there, so he goes to the shop to explore. Unfortunately he breaks a pot and to repay Min, he offers to work for him. Min reluctantly agrees and for the first time in Tree-ears life, he has a job which means food once a day.
For his first day at work he is sent up the mountain to collect firewood, he chops all day long creating a blister in the center of his hand, the wagon he uses to carry the wood tips over and he has to begin again. He then leave the cart and the house and returns to the bridge where Crane-man waits for him. The next day Tree-ear is scolded before he even makes it to the house. He had not completed his job. He began taking the wood to the kiln from then on. After the 9th day of working for Min, Tree-ear’s debt is paid, but he requests to stay with Min and Min agrees. Now instead of wood, he is to collect the clay. It is a hard and messy process, but Tree-Ear learns quickly.
That night he returns home to find Crane-man without his crutch. It broke when Crane-man hit it against a rock and Tree-ear begins to feel guilty for not being their for his friend but things quickly return to their light hearted banter.
The next day Tree-ear had a plan, he would bring his own bowl to work so that he could eat half and take half to Crane-man. However, at the end of the day an animal had eaten his leftovers. He decided he would have to be more clever. He dug a hole and placed a rock over it to protect his food and it worked. But a few days after he discovers that the bowl is full when he goes to retrieve it.
He begins learning how to drain the clay, and many times he has to drain it more than once. And often it was not enough for Min. Tree-Ear couldn’t wait to be able to learn to be a potter himself.
As summer approaches, food becomes easier to collect for Crane-man and he and Tree-ear often have better meals to eat. But this also meant that there was more time on his hands, so he would stay at Min’s house and do extra chores to help Min’s wife. One morning tree-ear follows Kang, another potter and discovers that he’s hiding something. But he continues with his work and waits.
Crane-man makes him a pair of sandals, and when they no longer fit, he makes him another pair. But this isn’t acceptable for winter. Min’s wife gives him her son’s clothes because he passed away. Tree-ear gives the coat to Crane-man to keep warm and continues work. He discovers what Kang has been working on, but keeps it a secret, because he doesn’t want to steal an idea. But soon, word from the palace comes that they are looking for a new potter. Min works very hard to make a few pieces to show and eventually comes up with what he wants. The emissary arrives and Kang’s creations are revealed, so now Tree-Ear can give the secret (because it is no longer a secret) to Min. However, Kang is chosen to be the potter, but only for a few months. Min is the next choice and begins working on his own version of Kang’s Inlaying. But there is no way for him to get the pottery to the palace, so Tree-Ear volunteers to take them.
Min spends almost all of his time perfecting the pottery, though the first several batches are ruined and then destroyed.
Crane-man tells Tree-ear of a fox who are generally bad luck and explains how one helped him decide not to be a monk. The story somewhat confuses Tree-ear, but listens none the less.
Tree-ear tells his friend of his upcoming journey and Crane-man begins to make him more sandals. Tree-Ear begins to lose interest in working for Min when Min tells him that he will never teach him to be a potter because he is not his son, his son is dead. Tree-Ear asks Crane-man why this is so and he explains it. He tells him that it used to be that no one wanted to be a potter so they made a law that the profession would be passed from father to son. Crane-man didn’t know if it was still that way but he said that the tradition had continued. He continued to work for Min but decides to learn pottery without him. There is more than one way to make pottery, he decides to use molding as his method for now.
As Min continues his work he discovers that he needs something to carry them in. So Crane-man makes a stray container for them. The container is tested and proved to work well. It is decided that Tree-ear will leave in the morning, and before he goes he gives Crane-man a molded monkey that he made for him.
Tree-ear travels without much incident for the first six days. He began to relax a little until he realized that he would be spending the night in the forest. While there, he encounters a fox. He is terrified and barely able to sleep. But he does, and when he wakes he realizes how silly it was to fear a fox. He continues his journey until he reaches a place that Crane-man insisted he visit. While there, he is overtaken by bandits and the vases are broken. Desperate, Tree-ear picks up a single shard and continues on his journey to the palace. When he reaches the gates he refuses to see anyone but the emissary and when he does he shows him the shard. Therefore, gaining a commission for Min.
The Emissary sends a ship back to Tree-Ear’s home and he goes with it, making the journey much quicker. As soon as they reach land, he run’s to Min’s house to find him. Ajima tells him that he is at the draining site. As soon as Tree-Ear reaches him, he tells him the wonderful news, only to be disappointed by the news of Crane-mans death.
The next day, Tree-ear returns to work and finds that he has to chop wood, but it’s different this time. Min tells him that he needs his own wheel. Tree-ear will finally learn pottery! Ajima invites Tree-ear to live with them and take part of the name of their first son. Tree-ear is now Hyung-pil and he finally has a family.

Recommendations:
There are so many ways this book could be introduced. In an art class, a history class or simply for fun reading.

Potential Problems:
The way orphans are treated might give the children ideas.

My reaction:
I thought this was a historically accurate book. My Aunt is Korean and it is quite similar to what she has talked about. I liked the book, although it seemed slow at times. Overall though it was good.