A Single Shard

Title: A Single Shard
Author: Linda Sue Park
Publisher: Clarion Books
Reading Level: 4 and up
Pages: 148
Genre: Historical Fiction










Summary:

Tree-ear lives under the bridge with Crane-man. He has lived there for a very long time, and Cran-man is his only family, even though they are not related. They are very poor and they have to scavenge for their food at all times. Often Tree-ear will go hide in the bushes and watch a famous potter, Min, throw pots. He is fascinated by Min's work and he wishes he could do the same. One day he goes to look at Min's work whil the potter is gone for a little bit. When looking at a box Min had made the potter returns and scares Tree-ear. He drops the lid and ruins it. Min is frustrated, and Tree-ear wants to help him. After pleading he could be of good help Min agrees to let Tree-ear pay off the debt by working for him for 9 days. Tree-ear excpects, and hopes, that Min will teach him how to throw a pot. However, he is disappointed. Min sends him to the forest to chop wood for the kiln. After doing this for 9 days his debt is payed, but he wants to keep working. He returns to Min and Min accepts his work but says he will not be able to pay for him. Tree-ear is fine with the noon-day meal that he gets every day. He only eats half so that he can reurn to Crane-man at night and they can eat. However, when he returns for the bowl each afternoon he finds it full to the brim. This is the doing of Min's wife, who is soon referred to as Ajima by Tree-ear. She is kind to him and Tree-ear stays after work so that he can do little chores around the house for her as payment for her kindness. Tree-ear continues to cut wood and eventually gather clay for Min. He puts his dream of being a potter in the back of his mind for now. One day it is heard that royalty will be coming to give a comission to a potter to work for the king. Min has dreamed of this his whole life so he sets to work. Kang, another potter, is seen by Tree-ear, while he is being very secretive about his work. Tree-ear spies on him and finds out that he is doing inlay work. However, Tree-ear does not tell Min because he thinks it is dishonest because he found the idea through stealth. When the emissarys come to view the work of the potters Kang's design is displayed. He has many pots and they all have crysanthumums on them that are beautiful. The king spends many minutes at his stall admiring his work. Then he continues down the line. He gets to Min's stall, and Tree-ear is nervous. Min works slow and doesn't produce many objects. However, his work is perfect and the king recognizes this. He comes to Min later to inform him that Kang had a one-year comission and if Min could reproduce the inlay work in his own then he could get a comission if he brought it to Songdo, the capital. Min sets to work. He makes many of the exact same pot, and does the exact same inlay work on them. He fires the pots and two come out perfect. Tree-ear offers to take them to Songdo. Crane-man makes a straw jiggeh to carry the pots, Ajima provides food, and Min sends some money and Tree-ear is off. He travels many days, and he climbs a mountain that Crane-man told him he must see. At the top of the mountain robbers confront him and take the jiggeh. Upon seeing the vases they are disappointed and they turn to leave. However, they are cruel and they turn back and throw the pots off the side of the cliff. Heartbroked, Tree-ear runs down the mountain to find the vases; hoping against all hope that one survived by falling in the water. He finds the first vase smashed to pebble sized pieces. Then he finds the second vase. Shattered. He cries and picks up pieces of the second vase. Suddenly determination sets in. He takes the largest piece and continues on to Songdo. He stands up to the guards and goes to see Emissary Kan. He explains what happened and presented the shard. After examining it, Emissary Kan writes a comission for Min. Tree-ear is so elated that he almost can't contain it. A ship is provided and he goes back home. Upon returning he runs to Ajima and Min telling them of the success. They seem happy, yet sad at the same time. Min takes Tree-ear aside and informs him that Crane-man fell of the bridge and died in the cold of the water. Tree-ear is beside himself with grief. He returns the to bridge, and grieves the loss of his friend.The next day he returns to Min's house where there is much activity. Min informs him to go cut wood in a different way than normal. Tree-ear does not understand. Min says to hurry for he cannot make a wheel for Tree-ear if he takes all day. Tree-ear is ecstatic! Min is going to teach him to throw pots! Ajima tells him to hurry and then return home. At the sound of home he looks back to her. She then asks him to live with them and if they can change his name to Hyung-pil. The name shared a syllable with their son who had died. Tree-ear felt greatly honored as he went to cut wood. Then he began to think of what he would inlay on his vase... he wanted it to be wonderful. The book ends here, but there is an additional historical note that says a vase of great beauty was found but the artist was unknown. Inlayed all over the vase were cranes... it is known as the "Thousand Crane Vase."

My Reaction:

I loved this book! It is a great way to teach children about kindness, repect, honestly and love. It was definitely a page turner for me and I could read it again right now!

Potential Problems:

Children might not like how Tree-ear and Crane-man are treated some of the time. They are not a part of a family and that is frowned upon. Also, Min is not everly nice to Tree-ear as he works for him. Other than that, I think this book is a great story for children.

Recommendations:

I would recommend this book to anybody. More directed towards older children. Some of the details of pottery work could be boring for a child and it will not be able to hold their interest.