Bibliographical information:

Park, Linda Sue. A Single Shard. New York: Dell Yearling, 2001.

2002 Newberry Medal winner

Brief summary:

In mid- to late-twelfth century Korea, in the village of Ch'ulp'o,orphaned Tree-ear lives under a bridge with Crane-man. Fascinated by the work of Min the potter, Tree-ear accidentally breaks a piece of pottery, and offers to work for Min to pay for the damage. Working for Min allows him to learn more about the potter's art, and takes him on an adventure as he travels to Songdo to seek a royal commission for Min.

Comments:

There's a quiet excitement to this book--Park manages to present small victories as both delicate and exciting. Both my daughter and I found ourselves surprised by how hard it was to put this book down, and it made her want to take a pottery class to experiment with techniques that are carefully described. Park also includes a note about Korean potters of the Celdaon era (918-1392 C.E.), as well as about other relevant contexts that may be of interest to readers.

Grade/Age level:

Grades 3 and up

Cautions:

If you like this book, you might also like . . .

--Lisa Gordis

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