A Single Shard

I enjoyed this book, perhaps, because I have been to Korea twice and could visualize the trip taken to deliver the pottery to the Royal palace. The ethical lessons were excellent and the characters well developed. I have seen the ovens used to develop the Celedon color and marvel at the technique and results. I would recommend this book to anyone from age 10 and up.

A Single Shard is about a 13 year-old boy named Tree-ear. Tree-ear is an orphan who watches a skilled potter named Min. He is facinated by Min's work and would love to learn how to make a pot of his own. One day while Min is out, Tree-ear wanders over to look at Min's work more closely. When Min catches him, it is off to work for Tree-ear. Tree-ear works for Min for nine days and he still does not know how to make a pot. Finally Tree-ear gets up the courage to ask Min for lessons. A Single Shard is a great book. I really enjoyed it.

A Single Shard by Linda Sue Park is a tale of overcoming the limitations set by one's society through hard work and perseverance. The protagonist, a young orphan boy named Tree-ear is our guide through 12th century Korean life. The underside of a bridge serves as a home for Tree-ear and his older friend Crane-man in the small town of Ch'ul'po. Tree-ear and Crane-man spend much of their days scavenging for food in garbage heaps and on occasion finding fish. Aside from this being the young boy that Tree-ear is, he gets curious and ends up spying on the master potter min. When Tree-ear's curiosity gets the best of him, he waits until Min is gone and begins to handle the beautiful Celadon Pottery that Min has crafted. In an instant it slips from Tree-ears hands and breaks. This begins Tree-ear's journey as a helper to the potter Min, thus to pay off his debt of the broken pottery. The story unravels quickly as Tree-ear wants so badly to make a pot of his very own; however Min would never let a young orphan boy learn his very sacred trade. As the reader follows Tree-ear we too, sit and hope that he will be able to over come his predestined fate as an orphan boy.
Ms. Park takes the reader on an emotional journey with Tree-ear as we see him make sacrifices for his dear friend Crane-man and work even when it seemed like Min was never happy with him. Tree-ear's feelings and struggles come to life as he experiences despair in not pleasing the potter Min. Tree-ear's success are also touching; however you will have to read the book to find out how.
Ms. Park does an exceptional job of demonstrating the roles of various people in a typical Korea society. The master potter is a perfectionist who finds it indecent to apprentice anyone but a "real" son. Potter Min's wife is the traditional woman of the house who takes care of the family and at times even takes care of Tree-ear behind Min's back. Having all these roles clearly defined helps the reader to see how Tree-ear really is defying what the town has written as his fate.
I would recommend this book to all children ages 8 and above. It really gives children a sense of societal roles, hard work, family traditions, and other cultures.

When you start to read A Single Shard you think it's one of those cute, historical fiction books, you know, nothing special. But, this is one of those bookswhere you really get into it. I couldn't keep it down. I read for hours at night, going to bed at about 10:00 PM.
A single Shard is about a boy in the 16th Century who is inspired by a potter who lives down the road. He lives with his old friend (I can't remember his name, I read it a long time ago). A while later in the book, he goes to work with this potter, and one day, the king comes to announce that there is a contest for the best pottery in Korea. So, the boy has to go to the kingdom to bring the piece of pottery to the kingdom.
A Single Shard is filled with fun and surprises. (Good for Grade 4-7 or 8). It is a great read for children and even adults.
If you're also looking for another good book, read the other book by Linda Sue Park, When My Name Was Keoko. (I think it's better than A Single Shard).

Tara Foss
Literature for Elementary Education
9-27-03
A Single Shard by Linda Sue Parks
In the book A Single Shard by Linda Sue Parks, I felt that at first the setting and the characters were not real. But as I read on I discovered that Tree-ear and Min were just like anyone else that was trying to make a living and be successful, they were just different because they lived in the woods and made pottery
The dialogue provided insight into the characters. For example, I could tell that Tree-ear was very eager and persistent to learn about being a potter. Tree-ear says, "You would not need to teach so much as you think, sir. I have been watching you for many months now. I know how you mix the clay, turn the wheel-I have watched you make many things..." Page 18. Also, I can tell that Min has a very stubborn exterior, but underneath it all he is really a softy. Min says, "What's the matter with you, boy? Do you not understand that I have been assigned a royal commission?... How are you to help me if you don't have a wheel of your own." Page 146.
I found that the plot had many dramatic questions that make you wonder what is about to happen next. Some of the questions I found were, Will he make it to the Palace? Will the pots be chosen? And will the single piece of the pot be enough for him to get the commission?
The mood and tone of the book definitely facilitated disbelief. I felt like I was there with Tree-ear the first day he went to get the wood and his hands were bleeding and sore. Also, when the men broke his pots, my heart broke with his and I could feel his disappointment.
I considered the end of the book to be a surprise observation. I was not sure if the single piece of the pot would do or not. But I was happy to find out that it was enough. I felt that it flowed very nicely with the rest of the story. Also, I was surprised when Crane-man died. I would have to say that I truly did not expect that to happen.
I feel that this book could be of interest to a wide variety of people. I enjoyed it and I am 21 years old. I feel that it is a good book for people of various age groups. If I were to use this book in my classroom I would probably use it with a lesson that deals with maybe art. It could be used to show that art takes time and you can not give up on it. Or I would use it as a History lesson to show the time period and the different cultures.

A Single Shard, by Linda Sue Park, is set in 12th century Korea. The main character of this book is a young orphan boy named Tree-ear who lives under a bridge with an old, crippled man named Crane man. When he is not rummaging for food, Tree-ear spends countless hours watching a potter named Min as he works. Tree-ear wants someday to become a potter himself, but because this trade is supposed to be handed down from father to son, it seems at first very unlikely that Tree-ear will ever realize this dream. Eventually, Tree-ear does get a job working for Min, but he is only allowed to gather firewood and collect the clay which will be made into new pots. One day a royal emissary comes to town to give a pottery commission to a master potter. The selected potter would then make the pottery for the king and his court. Min works on a piece of pottery for a long time in the hopes of submitting it to the royal commission. When the piece is finally completed, Tree-ear eagerly volunteers to take the piece to the king. What happens to Tree-ear along the way of this journey is both surprising and inspiring. I really enjoyed reading this book because the setting and time period is unique, and the characters are very realistic. I also think that this book offers many important lessons for our youth today.

I thought this was a really good novel, the people were respectful,and workful.From the moment I started reading the book I knew it was going to be good I couldn't put the book down. Linda is a good author although I thought the novel needed more suspense. I really liked the whole agriculture background it makes it sound more educated. My opinion is that Linda makes a second part to this exciting wonderful novel. One last thing is that I enjoy reading korean 12th century novels so just keep on writing novels Linda.

For synopsis see above.

Just found a journal I kept back in 2002 for books that I read! In it I wrote that A SINGLE SHARD was slow moving at the beginning. Takes place in Korea 12th century. Pottery. Excellent from the middle to the end of the book.

You will find satisfaction in this story if you stick with it. For historical fiction fans and those needing to read Newbery Medal winning book. Not for reluctant readers.

A single shard is a great piece of historical fiction. this novel is based
in Ch'ul'po, on the west coast of Korea in the mid- to late twelfth century. This book is about a young named tree-ear that is an orphan boy. tree-ear lives in a brig with his friend crane man. Crane man and tree-ear are poor and hardly survive from a little food they have. It all changes for tree-ear sees master potter min making a pot. tree-ear wishes that he could some day make his own pot. One day tree-ear sneaks in to min house to see min's work accidentally tree-ear brakes a pot of master min because master min frighten him as he study the pot in his hands. Tree-ear has to pat off the damages by working for the potter for 9 days. when tree-ear pays off the damages he tells master min that he wishes to work for him and no pay. Master min takes tree-ear's offer.

Some dislikes of the story was when min told tree-ear that he would never teach him how to do pottery. Another dislike was when tree-ear and crane man had to live under the brig thought the winter .Some things that really liked was when min's wife gave tree-ear a jacket from her dead son to keep him worm in the winter. I really loved it when min's wife told tree-ear to call her Ajima which meant aunty. I did not like it when min never told tree-ear how much he appreciated the work he did for him. I liked when the author told the tradition f the potters passing it down only to their Childs.

The main conflict of the story was when the emissary came to the village and was looking for potters to be chosen for commission . Min and kang's work were chosen to be show to the royal the pots but they chose kangs work. The emissary told min if he could go to sondo he would give him a chance to show new pots the problem was that min was to old to walk or travel that far so tree-ear afford to take the pots to Sondo to show the potters work. Tree-ear gets to Sondo but in his journey he gets robed and has no pots to show the emissary . But a shacking thing happened. The emissary "I cant tell the ending if min got the job or not".

Some things that happened in the book was when crane man died while tree-ear was in his journey . A glade thing happened when tree-ear came bake he got to live with min's family. Anther great thing was min's wife gave tree-ear a new name and takes his orphan name away which is hyung-pil . The greatest thing that happened was that min is going to teach tree-ear how to pot. I recommend this book to any person how wish to read a interesting sad story.

Linda Sue Park wrote a fantastic book that feels like it can come to life! It takes place in a small village near the west coast of Korea. It is set in the mid through late 12th century. It is about a 12 year old boy named Tree-ear who would like to become a potter. He watches his favorite potter Min make fabulous things out of clay. Tree-ear's parents died of the fever and he got his name because he was an orphan and was named after the mushroom that grows at the bottom of a tree. Tree-ear's guardian is named Crane-man. They live under a bridge and have barely any food. One day Tree-ear broke one of Min's boxes while Min was no where in sight. Tree-ear went to work for Min to pay for the box. He wants Min to teach him pottery, but Min says he can't because he is not his son. One day a person from the palace called an emissary comes to commission a potter to make pottery for the emperor. When the emissary arrives at Min's house to look at his work, he likes it very much. The emissary goes back to Min's house a few days later to see Min's new work. But when he gets there, he finds all of Min's work broken and shattered across the yard. It was because the celedon (a light green glaze used for pottery) was the wrong color. Since the emissary likes Min's work best, he decides to give Min one more chance. Min works his best to impress the emissary. Then he has Tree-ear take his work to Songdo. Before he leaves, Tree-ear gets out some clay and makes Crane-man a monkey so he won't forget him. Min instructed Crane-man to make a jiggeh (an open framed backpack made of branches)to hold the pottery. Tree-ear sets off on his journey and arrives at a village near Songdo. Crane-man had told him to go to the Rock of Falling Flowers. But when he gets there, a couple of robbers take his money and and break the vases that Min worked so hard on making for the emissary. Tree-ear was so upset that he throws the Jiggeh over the Rock of Falling Flowers. Then he realizes that he didn't hear the crash of the second vase that Min had made. Tree-ear climbs down to check on it. The vase appears to be in big shards. He decides to take a single shard to show the emissary because that single piece has a lot of Min's work in it. The emissary sees the piece and decides to commission Min. When Tree-ear arrives at Min's house to share the news about the commission, Min tells him that Crane-man drowned in the river! When they pulled Crane-man out of the river, they found a little ceramic monkey. The next evening, Tree-ear is back underneath the bridge throwing stones, leaves,and dirt clogs. Suddenly Min appears and wants him to chop up some wood for his new wheel. Then he hears another voice, Ajima (Min's wife who wants Tree-ear to call her "auntie" in Korean). She says "Be home in time for supper". Home? That is right! Tree-ear is now a part of a family. He has a new name which pleases him and he is no longer an orphan. Tree-ear couldn't be happier.

I like this lit circle book because you can really catch on to it. It was easy to read, great vocabulary, and had an amazing plot. It was full of adventure that you can picture in your head easily. I really would recommend it to people who love adventure and excitment! I know you will like it as much as I did! So what are you waiting for? Get comfortable and start reading.

A Single Shard is the story of a journey, a young boy's journey as a social outcast in a 12th century Korean potter's village, a young boy's journey through life. Tree-ear is orphaned as a toddler and raised by Crane-man, himself a village outcast. Crane-man has worked to instill in Tree-ear a sense of integrity and strong character which will often be tested but never ignored. The greatest test come when Tree-ear learns that his dream of becoming a potter might never be fulfilled. Working only for daily food for Min, the highly acclaimed potter in his village, Tree-ear longs to study the trade of throwing pots on the potter's wheel. However, after eighteen months of hard, often thankless work, Tree-ear learns that the skill can only be passed from father to son. Will Tree-ear be able to set-aside his own longings and continue to assist the potter and his wife, when they need him most?

Linda Sue Park, a talented author, delivers a timeless message of growth, courage, and dedication. Each chapter exposes more of the daily struggles that Tree-ear and Crane-mane must face. Tree-ear often has to draw upon the lessons which Crane-man has worked to instill in him. The reader is taken on a journey of growth and unselfish dedication with Tree-ear. Additionally, weaved throughout the book are very valuable historical tidbits of information which assist the reader in understanding the time and place setting of the story. I highly recommend A Single Shard for use in the middle school classroom.

This story of devotion and perseverance is set in 12th century Korea among the famous potters of cheladon. An orphan by the name of Tree-ear lives under a bridge with Crane-man a lame straw weaver. They live day by day by scavenging for food. When Tree-ear accidentally breaks one of the potters vases his life changes as he works to pay him back. Tree-ear stays on after his debt is paid because he longs to learn the trade of pottery. Tree-ear's character is genuinely portrayed when he continues on his journey to the royal court after robbers break Min's vase and only a single shard is left.

The detailed portrayal of the lives of the Korean people at this time period is amazing but what truly stands out are the characters. Park does a wonderful job bringing out Min's perfectionist qualities while his wife is kind and gives Tree-ear extra food to feed him and Crane-man. Tree-ear's determination and intelligence bring him good fortune and lift him out of his poverty. This book not only gives readers an insight into an unfamiliar time and place it is a heartwarming story.

As a middle school teacher, this book is pure gold. Firstly, it is a classic in the ever-so-hard to satisfy genre of historical fiction. Secondly, it is a great addition to showcasing an Asian protagonist, a necessity in exposing students to diversity. And lastly, the character Tree-ear is a perfect example of a young man whose penchant for pondering things (Crane-man's stories, the kindness in others' eyes, the motives and behavior of Kang) leads to wonderful insight. Tree-ear's motivations and experiences help to develop a young reader's empathy and his triumphs and dedication to his passions are themes that universally give us all a reminder that it is okay to love the things that WE love. Brilliant! A new favorite of mine!!!

A wonderful fabel about a potter and his apprentice in 12th century Korea. A sympathetic portrayal of a relationship between young orphan and disabled elder man who live under a bridge. The orphan becomes apprenticed to a potter and after much hard work and adventures he is allowed to have a wheel of his own and make pots. Excellent research in the methods of producing celadon pottery in Korea. Very suitable as a children's book.

Have you ever waited for something so long and not have it, that you have been working for it for so long so long for it. The main character of A Single Shard had this happened to him. I really liked the book A Single Shard.

The Characters in the story were chosen wisely. The difference between characters was great, for example two characters named Min and tree-ear. Min (is the potter who trained Tree-ear) is a strict man but at times he is calm. Like when he is making pots. Another thing about Min is that he is a slow potter. All the other potters call him tortoise Min. The reason is that they call him that is because the other potters take three days to make one pot. But it takes Min three months to make one pot. But his work pays of because his work is so beautiful, but the bad news is they are so elegant that no one can buy them. Tree-ear is a eager character who works for Min. Tree-ear is an orphan who broke a box of mins and Tree-ear had to repay Min in work.

The other reason I liked this book was the turn around moments. Like when Tree-ear learns the rule pottery that a father must train his son or when Tree-ear gets robbed and the piece of work was shattered. And at the end of the book when he gets taught to be a potter.

There were a lot of reasons that I like this book so I think that this was a great book.

An intriguing book about how fast one's life can change for the better.

Tree-ear is an orphaned boy raised under a bridge. His life changes when he becomes enamored with a potter, whom he watches from afar. He decides to visit the man's studio one day, accidentally knocking over and breaking a piece of his work. This single act changes his life for the better and creates a future he might no otherwise have.

the appropicate age group is 12 and up. the book call A Single Shard by Linda Sue Park. The story is mainly about an orphan name Tree-Ear who had to work for a potter master to replace th ebroken pot that he broke. so after he repay him,Tree-Ear still want to work for Min, so he could have a chance to learn how to make pot. during his work he got food and clothes from Min wife and some leftover food for Crane-man.Tree-ear got the clothes becasue MIn wife son die so she give the clothes to Tree-ear to wear it. after he got to travel to Songdo to give the pot to the emissy to look at for the emperor. but on the way to Songdo re-ear got rob by two guys and the robber threw the pots off the cliff. ao when he came back to tell Min about it, Tree-ear got reward it for trying, his reward was a new name, a home and a mom and a dad.THe thing that I like about the book is that the author teach a lesson and in the book it shoe a lot of respect to other. The thing that I don't like about the book is that the author didn't tell the whole story. The author didn't tell the reader if Tree-ear was successful with the pots that he learn from MIn. Also the book was a great book to read because the show respect to other and it teach lesson to the reader.

A SINGLE SHARD took place in 1500's Korea. It's about an orphan boy called Tree Ear.

My favorite part of the book was when Tree Ear is attackede by robers. They take all his money. They also through the pots that Tree Ear has in a Basket that's on his back over a cliff. They then run away with his money. Tree Ear gets the Biggest Shard.

I recommend this book because it's an amazing book. Its a very adventures book. It has affect me because it tells me that I should never give up. I should always keep on going. It helped me in many parts of my life.

In this book, the main character lives in a potting village and wants to become a potter. Unable to do this because of shortage of money, he gets a job with a master potter. Soon he becomes very good at the job and is sent on a mission to help his master get a commission.

I liked this book because it had lots of mischievous and exciting parts. I got sucked in right away. If there's any historical fiction book you should read, then it's this one. Nothing was dislikable for my taste. That's why I give it a five star rating.

I have read Linda Sue Park's other novel, When My Name Was Keoko, and thoroughly enjoyed it. I think she is an excellent author because she really makes the reader feel like they are part of the story. In this nover, Tree-Ear is a young boy who lives under a bridge, colleceting garbage for food. The book opens up with a story of Tree-Ear collectiong grains of rice from the dirt that have been dropped by a passoing farmer. Even though Tree-Ear lives a life of poverty, throughout the novel he continues to aspire for something greater. In the nearby village, there is a potter named Min, whom Tree-Ear idolizes. He spends his extra time watching Min. After breaking a pot, Min reluctantly allows the boy to help out around the shop to pay the debt. Tree-Ear is awarded the task of bringing two delicate pots to royalty, but the plan goes awry, and the potas are destroyed. All he has left is a single piece of the once-beautiful pots to show the royals. Like Linda Sue Park's other novel, A Single Shard doesn't fail to be entertaining yet historical. I really enjoyed the story. I feel as though I am no longer ignorant to the Korean culture and history after reading these two novels and seeing all that the nation has suffered through and all they have to be proud of. I am fascinated with Korean culture after reading these two great novels by Parlk. I recommend them both highly.

This is a wonderful story about a young orphan who follows his dream to apprentice with the town's master potter, and how persevering, even though it looks like he won't achieve his dream, leads to reaching it and so very much more.

I liked this book. It is a very interesting story of friendship. It takes place in a village on the west coast of Korea, in the mid-to-late 12th century. It is about a 12 year old boy named Tree-Ear. He lives with his friend Crane-Man. They live together under a bridge because they are orphans. Tree-Ear just started working for a potter named Min. He loves to watch him on the wheel making pottery. He’s always wanted to make a pot of his own. He has lots and lots of work to do now that he works for Min.
Later on, he has some adventures as he travels to the emissary’s palace for Min. I think you should read the story to find out more!
-DNG

This Newberry winner is set in 11th century Korea and is about a young orphan pottery apprentice called Tree-ear. Good, brief historical fiction, it (after a tough entry in the first few pages) brings us to this far off time and place and makes us care about the artistry and artistic process of these craftsmen and about the artistic urges of this young orphan. It's competent and interesting, though not thrilling. Ages 9+

Linda Sue Park wrote a fantastic book that feels like it can come to life! It takes place in a small village near the west coast of Korea. It is set in the mid through late 12th century. It is about a 12 year old boy named Tree-ear who would like to become a potter. He watches his favorite potter Min make fabulous things out of clay. Tree-ear's parents died of the fever and he got his name because he was an orphan and was named after the mushroom that grows at the bottom of a tree. Tree-ear's guardian is named Crane-man. They live under a bridge and have barely any food. One day Tree-ear broke one of Min's boxes while Min was no where in sight. Tree-ear went to work for Min to pay for the box. He wants Min to teach him pottery, but Min says he can't because he is not his son. One day a person from the palace called an emissary comes to commission a potter to make pottery for the emperor. When the emissary arrives at Min's house to look at his work, he likes it very much. The emissary goes back to Min's house a few days later to see Min's new work. But when he gets there, he finds all of Min's work broken and shattered across the yard. It was because the celedon (a light green glaze used for pottery) was the wrong color. Since the emissary likes Min's work best, he decides to give Min one more chance. Min works his best to impress the emissary. Then he has Tree-ear take his work to Songdo. Before he leaves, Tree-ear gets out some clay and makes Crane-man a monkey so he won't forget him. Min instructed Crane-man to make a jiggeh (an open framed backpack made of branches)to hold the pottery. Tree-ear sets off on his journey and arrives at a village near Songdo. Crane-man had told him to go to the Rock of Falling Flowers. But when he gets there, a couple of robbers take his money and and break the vases that Min worked so hard on making for the emissary. Tree-ear was so upset that he throws the Jiggeh over the Rock of Falling Flowers. Then he realizes that he didn't hear the crash of the second vase that Min had made. Tree-ear climbs down to check on it. The vase appears to be in big shards. He decides to take a single shard to show the emissary because that single piece has a lot of Min's work in it. The emissary sees the piece and decides to commission Min. When Tree-ear arrives at Min's house to share the news about the commission, Min tells him that Crane-man drowned in the river! When they pulled Crane-man out of the river, they found a little ceramic monkey. The next evening, Tree-ear is back underneath the bridge throwing stones, leaves,and dirt clogs. Suddenly Min appears and wants him to chop up some wood for his new wheel. Then he hears another voice, Ajima (Min's wife who wants Tree-ear to call her "auntie" in Korean). She says "Be home in time for supper". Home? That is right! Tree-ear is now a part of a family. He has a new name which pleases him and he is no longer an orphan. Tree-ear couldn't be happier.

I like this lit circle book because you can really catch on to it. It was easy to read, great vocabulary, and had an amazing plot. It was full of adventure that you can picture in your head easily. I really would recommend it to people who love adventure and excitment! I know you will like it as much as I did! So what are you waiting for? Get comfortable and start reading.

The book that I have finished reading was called A Single Shard. I thought that the book had many strengths, which is why it makes the book more interesting to read. One of the strengths that I found while reading the book, was that the author, Linda Sue Park, added a lot of detail in it. Linda made it feel as if I was inside the book.

This book takes place in the mid-to late twelfth century on the west coast of Korea, where an orphan boy named Tree-ear is living under a bridge with a man named Crane-man. Tree-ear enjoys looking at a master potter named Min's pottery, but one day goes inside Min's house and breaks one of his pots. Tree-ear has to work for Min for nine days in debt for what he broke.After his nine days are up, he hopes that he could continue to work for Min, and that he will eventually be able to learn how to make a pot. Then, a royal missionary comes to look at different potter's work.Tree-ear is determined to help Min get commission. After reading this book, it made me feel happy because in the end, Tree-ear gets what he wants.

A Single Shard is a story written by Linda Sue. The central figure of the novel is a young orphan named Tree-ear who is from 12th century Korea. One day during his walks in the wood, he finds master Min and his potter wheel. Tree-ear secretly watches potter Min on the wheel, then he decides to presents himself to potter Min to become his apprentice. Potter Min rejects his offer at first, but after more consideration he allows himself to be persuaded. Potter Min puts Tree-ear to work demanding hard labor and long working days. In return, Tree-ear is given food and lessons in ceramics.

Towards the end of the novel, Tree-ear is given the task to deliver a royal commission from Potter Min to the royal court. Unlucky, Tree-ear breaks the commissioned piece. The novel ends with lessons in friendship.

The novel gives the reader a view of life in Korea during the 12th century. For folks who dabble in ceramics, the novel is a reminder to be generous and attentive especially to budding ceramicists.

This book is about a young orphan named Tree-ear who lives with an old cripple named Crane-man. He becomes interested in the art of pottery and starts working for a Master Potter, named Min, because he broke a piece of work. After his debt was paid, he still wanted to work for the Master Potter and the potter let him stay. After a while he noticed that he wasn't doing potter's work, just carrying wood and clay. He found out the reason why was because techniques are past on from father to son, and Tree-ear is an orphan and not his son. After a long time of apprenticing, he is sent on a long journey to the emperor's palace to give pottery. On the way there, he was ambushed by two robbers. They threw the pottery over the edge of a cliff and ran. Tree-ear then tried to find the biggest shard he can to show to the council. He then showed them it and they were amazed at the quality of the single shard. After the long journey, he finds out crane-man passed away and Min takes him as an adoptive son. Now, Tree-ear can learn the pottery he has always wanted to do.

This book was influential to me because it showed me that even a little piece can show great quality which I think it shows all people. I learned that if you are humble you will get what you want. This book is historical fiction and is 152 pages. The setting is placed in 12th century Korea.

This book was fabulous. It was like a breath of fresh air. You should definitely read this. The characters were well formed, and stayed true to themselves. The characters felt real, not the simple book characters they are. The plot was strong and the danger was imminent. This book was a fabulous read.

I liked how the title corresponded so well to the title of the book. When u read the book you will understand what I mean. I think it is a sad book but I will not tell you why because that would be spoiling.?

This book is called A Single Shard. This is a story about a boy named Tree ear that lives with a man named Crane Man. They live under a bridge in Korea. They try to live under the bridge by survivng on herbs and on special ocasions, delicous rice. It is a hard life for them both.

This is a good book because it tells alot about old Korea. This would be a good book for those who like foriegn books. I hope you will enjoy this book. I cant thank you enough for reading this review. Good bye and have fun reading.

A Boy who has no parents is sent on a mission by his master and then gets new parents. I have two favorite parts: those favorite parts are when the boy gets respect from the emissary, and when he gets the pottery master and his wife as his new mother and father. I would recommend this book to any one who likes books that start off with orphans and end up with the orphan having parents.

RuDong, age 11, from Taiwan

I was assigned to read a Newbery award winner for a children's literature class at WV State college. I didn't think I would like this book, but I was wrong. The book is very interesting and easy to understand. It is set in Korea in the mid to late 12th century.
An orphan named Tree-ear is raised by a homeless man. The orphan begins working for a master potter but he is basically working just to get food for him and Crane-man, the homeless man who is raising him.
There are parts of this book that made me cry--sad AND happy tears. There are also parts that surprised me, especially towards the end of the book.
This book would be a great read while sunning by the pool.

I didn't really expect to enjoy this story as much as I did. What I enjoy about Linda Sue Park's style is that she doesn't write down for kids, nor does she shy away from poetic metaphors or other literary devices. Her skill in language and character development make this a compelling novel, and I look forward to reading more by this author.

I bought this book because of the great reviews, but wasn't very excited about the Oriental theme until I started reading it. It is very well written, with highly developed characterization. I like to get to know a character well, what he is thinking and feeling, how he develops and learns, how he responds to set-backs, etc. and this book does all that. What a great book, with moral lessons which are obvious, but not too heavy handed. I highly recommend it to adults as well as children. An interesting book to have in your personal library.

A Single Shard was a good book and I liked it a whole lot! it was very interesting, and i liked the characters and plot. however, i did not like the end. it felt very abrupt, and i just didn't like it too much. it could have been better, and it could have had a little bit more suspense, but overall it was a good story! <3

It gives me so much hope for humanity that such a story will be read by children. This book has soul. It's kind of how I felt after watching Wall-E, I knew the writers for Pixar had a soul. There seem to be very few people that genuinely care about the proper development of a child's mind, especially a child that is not their own. To see fellow humans sharing such wonderful stories makes me happy beyond measure.

Read the book, give it to your child, and then discuss. There is much to be learned from a Single Shard.

Tree Ear is a touching character who is sincere and honest. Even though he is an orphan, wich automaticly makes him a reject to Korean society, he has great adventures of self-exploration and tests of his morals. This is a story of friendship more than anything, but also a story of bravery, heros,and triumph.

Young people and adults will find this book very heartwarming, and find many opportunities to discuss a wide variety of topics, such as poverty, integrity, dignity, the value of work ethics, gratefulness, and personal integrity. I read this book as a college student (secondary educ), and I was immediately hooked. I could not put the book down, and I ended up finishing it in a few hours. I loved learning about the 12th century Korean world and the history of the artistic pottery.

My college education has really been coming together for me in pieces like one big puzzle, and this book was on of my favorite moments in young people's literature and a little bit of history too.

I have no interest in Korean Pottery, but this book was really good. I learned about the different patterns used in pottery, the ways of molding clasy, and how special each piece of artwork was to its artist.
I didn't mind that this book won the Newbery Medal of 2002, but there were better books out this year that I liked more.

ISBN: 0-440-41851-8

Taylor Snow

February 25th, 2006

Book Report on

A Single Shard

A Single Shard

The book that I read was A Single Shard. It is a book about an orphan "Tree-Ear" in the twelfth-century Korean Potters' village. Along with his friend Crene-man, they both live under a bridge. When Tree-Ear seeks potter min's potters skills Tree -ear wants to learn to make pottery from Min so one day Tree-ear sneaks into master potter Mins backyard. Tree-ear ends up dropping a piece of pottery so Tree-ear has to pay for the damage so he helps Min and his wife to pay for the pottery. One day Tree-ear is sent to the Kings Court so master Min can work for the King. This journey that Tree-ear is going to make swill change his life forever.

I did not like this book as much as I thought I would. I thought it was going to be more an adventuresome book, but it wasn't. If you want to find out if you like it, just find it and read it.

This story was not the best at the beginning but it got a little better at the end. The characters were not the best choice for this book but, they did some interesting things.
I think you should read it because the author expresses the feelings of the characters. It also expressed the details very well. This book would be great for a person who likes adventure stories. Though it was ok, if I had the chance to read it again, I wouldn't.
We would give this book three out of five stars. We are advanced readers from the 5th grade and would recommend Number the Stars based upon our friends' review!

I liked A Single Shard because it was set out of the United States, in China. My favorite part in Chapter one was when the man in front of him drops out of his pouch and Tree-ear
(Tree-are), the boy decides to tell him so they get to patch up the bag and Tree-ear gets to keep the rice the man dropped. I would recommend this book to any one who can read through a confusing beginning. So I will give this book 5 stars.

I think some of the Newbery voters feel that every third or fourth year they must choose something to fill some unspoken ethnic diversity quota. There's no question that this is a finely written book. It's just not very interesting. As a twelve-year-old, I'd have been bored stiff.

A single shard is a story about a poor boy named tree-ear who lives with a good friend, Cran-man. he helps a potter named Min make two beatiful vases. Then he set off on the journey to deliver the vases to the king.this book takes you back in time to a important part of history.

This book was Awsome! It describes life of a normal Korean potting village in the 1300s. It is a wonderful adventure with lots of fun info. It is a 999,999,999,999,999,999,999,999,999,999,999,999 thumbs up and a google stars book!

Winner of the Newbery award for children's writing, this book focuses on an orphan named Tree-Ear and his quest to become a potter during the middle ages in Korea. When I was in South Korea I bought copies of this book in Korean. They had different versions with different illustrations.

If like historical fiction you will love this book.

The book is good because Tree-ear who in orphan lives with a old man named Crane-man.They live under a bridge in C'uhlp'o a pottery village.One day Tree-ear gets caught handling pottery by the potter who made it;Min.Now he has to work for Min for nine days.

I stumbled upon this book while looking for ceramics books at my local library. Good story with lots of interesting details about early Korean Celadon Ceramics. The characters are believable and the details (especially the ceramics ones) ae accurate. I highly reccommend it

I read this book in preparation for a conference presentation last year. I was not particularly excited about the task, but as I began to read, the characters came alive! I can understand why this book won the Newberry. I became emotionally attached to Tree-Ear and read on to see if he was successful in his goals. At several points during the book, I cried along with the story. In my opinion, a book that can make me sympathetic enough to cry is a good story!

Author Linda Sue Parkes teaches the reader about the ancient Celedon craft world of Korea through an engaging story that involves class differences, individual determination, and love. The story involves enough set-backs that keep the reader rooting for the characters. I have recommended this to my students.

This novel tells the story of Tree Ear, a young orphan in 12th century Korea. Tree Ear goes to work for the master potter, Min, and he learns the craft of pottery making as he finds new family and a new place in his village. This was a good read, a wholesome read! It was clean,and enjoyable. I really liked the story.

Linda Sue Park wrote a fantastic book that feels like it can come to life! It takes place in a small village near the west coast of Korea. It is set in the mid through late 12th century. It is about a 12 year old boy named Tree-ear who would like to become a potter. He watches his favorite potter Min make fabulous things out of clay. Tree-ear's parents died of the fever and he got his name because he was an orphan and was named after the mushroom that grows at the bottom of a tree. Tree-ear's guardian is named Crane-man. They live under a bridge and have barely any food. One day Tree-ear broke one of Min's boxes while Min was no where in sight. Tree-ear went to work for Min to pay for the box. He wants Min to teach him pottery, but Min says he can't because he is not his son. One day a person from the palace called an emissary comes to commission a potter to make pottery for the emperor. When the emissary arrives at Min's house to look at his work, he likes it very much. The emissary goes back to Min's house a few days later to see Min's new work. But when he gets there, he finds all of Min's work broken and shattered across the yard. It was because the celedon (a light green glaze used for pottery) was the wrong color. Since the emissary likes Min's work best, he decides to give Min one more chance. Min works his best to impress the emissary. Then he has Tree-ear take his work to Songdo. Before he leaves, Tree-ear gets out some clay and makes Crane-man a monkey so he won't forget him. Min instructed Crane-man to make a jiggeh (an open framed backpack made of branches)to hold the pottery. Tree-ear sets off on his journey and arrives at a village near Songdo. Crane-man had told him to go to the Rock of Falling Flowers. But when he gets there, a couple of robbers take his money and and break the vases that Min worked so hard on making for the emissary. Tree-ear was so upset that he throws the Jiggeh over the Rock of Falling Flowers. Then he realizes that he didn't hear the crash of the second vase that Min had made. Tree-ear climbs down to check on it. The vase appears to be in big shards. He decides to take a single shard to show the emissary because that single piece has a lot of Min's work in it. The emissary sees the piece and decides to commission Min. When Tree-ear arrives at Min's house to share the news about the commission, Min tells him that Crane-man drowned in the river! When they pulled Crane-man out of the river, they found a little ceramic monkey. The next evening, Tree-ear is back underneath the bridge throwing stones, leaves,and dirt clogs. Suddenly Min appears and wants him to chop up some wood for his new wheel. Then he hears another voice, Ajima (Min's wife who wants Tree-ear to call her "auntie" in Korean). She says "Be home in time for supper". Home? That is right! Tree-ear is now a part of a family. He has a new name which pleases him and he is no longer an orphan. Tree-ear couldn't be happier.

I like this lit circle book because you can really catch on to it. It was easy to read, great vocabulary, and had an amazing plot. It was full of adventure that you can picture in your head easily. I really would recommend it to people who love adventure and excitment! I know you will like it as much as I did! So what are you waiting for? Get comfortable and start reading.

The book that I have finished reading was called A Single Shard. I thought that the book had many strengths, which is why it makes the book more interesting to read. One of the strengths that I found while reading the book, was that the author, Linda Sue Park, added a lot of detail in it. Linda made it feel as if I was inside the book.

This book takes place in the mid-to late twelfth century on the west coast of Korea, where an orphan boy named Tree-ear is living under a bridge with a man named Crane-man. Tree-ear enjoys looking at a master potter named Min's pottery, but one day goes inside Min's house and breaks one of his pots. Tree-ear has to work for Min for nine days in debt for what he broke.After his nine days are up, he hopes that he could continue to work for Min, and that he will eventually be able to learn how to make a pot. Then, a royal missionary comes to look at different potter's work.Tree-ear is determined to help Min get commission. After reading this book, it made me feel happy because in the end, Tree-ear gets what he wants.

This book takes readers into the past with a story of kindness and generosity. There are many lessons to be learned from Tree Ear and Craneman who both give though they seem to have no possessions to speak of. Even Potter Min opens his heart by the end of the story. While I doubt many people will actually read the epilogue or background at the end, the historical value of this book and insights into the culture are very well integrated.

I won this book in a competition at my school. Usually they give books to the winners that are boring and educational books. But, wow, I was blown away by A Single Shard. It is definitely one of my all time favorite books. If you haven't read it you need to. It is a very touching story and you will love it.

I love this book, and plan to read it aloud to my children. However, I strongly believe that this book should NOT be read by children and teens apart from adult guidance. There is a reference to concubines choosing to leap to their deaths off of a cliff rather than be taken prisoner. These suicides are looked upon by other characters in the story as heroic. However, the main character comes to the conclusion that at times, (but not always), it is more courageous to live than to choose to leap to your death. I'm uncomfortable with anything that might give young people the idea that suicide is sometimes an acceptable option. I think this question should be reserved for adult literature.

A Single Shard is an excellent book for young readers and is equally enjoyable for adults. I will use excerpts from this book when teaching my high school students about early Korean celadon firing. The characters are believable and likable, the story line is gripping and well written and sprinkled throuhgout the book is fabulous information about the making and firing of some of the finest pottery in history.

Tree ear who is an orphan finds himself observing Ming the master potter from a distance as he makes the best pots made anywhere. Tree ear longs to make pots also. This stories traces in well developed details how Tree ear attempts to become a master potter like his idol Master Ming. Clean, crisp and compelling. Great story

For anyone who hasn't yet read it, SHARD is a FABULOUS book -- gives you such a perfect sense of time and place, and is a terrific story too! I could literally "taste" the scenes as I read it...and it especially makes me want to go down to the river and cut those long slabs of clay off the bank...so much fun! (and you'll love the names too, like Tree Ear).

It gives me so much hope for humanity that such a story will be read by children. This book has soul. It's kind of how I felt after watching Wall-E, I knew the writers for Pixar had a soul. There seem to be very few people that genuinely care about the proper development of a child's mind, especially a child that is not their own. To see fellow humans sharing such wonderful stories makes me happy beyond measure.

Read the book, give it to your child, and then discuss. There is much to be learned from a Single Shard.

I won this book in a competition at my school. Usually they give books to the winners that are boring and educational books. But, wow, I was blown away by A Single Shard. It is definitely one of my all time favorite books. If you haven't read it you need to. It is a very touching story and you will love it.

I love this book, and plan to read it aloud to my children. However, I strongly believe that this book should NOT be read by children and teens apart from adult guidance. There is a reference to concubines choosing to leap to their deaths off of a cliff rather than be taken prisoner. These suicides are looked upon by other characters in the story as heroic. However, the main character comes to the conclusion that at times, (but not always), it is more courageous to live than to choose to leap to your death. I'm uncomfortable with anything that might give young people the idea that suicide is sometimes an acceptable option. I think this question should be reserved for adult literature.

A Single Shard is an excellent book for young readers and is equally enjoyable for adults. I will use excerpts from this book when teaching my high school students about early Korean celadon firing. The characters are believable and likable, the story line is gripping and well written and sprinkled throuhgout the book is fabulous information about the making and firing of some of the finest pottery in history.

Tree ear who is an orphan finds himself observing Ming the master potter from a distance as he makes the best pots made anywhere. Tree ear longs to make pots also. This stories traces in well developed details how Tree ear attempts to become a master potter like his idol Master Ming. Clean, crisp and compelling. Great story

For anyone who hasn't yet read it, SHARD is a FABULOUS book -- gives you such a perfect sense of time and place, and is a terrific story too! I could literally "taste" the scenes as I read it...and it especially makes me want to go down to the river and cut those long slabs of clay off the bank...so much fun! (and you'll love the names too, like Tree Ear).

After reading one of Park's previous novels, The Kite Fighter, I was excited to get A Single Shard. Any writer who can present a half-starved orphan boy without lapsing into sentimentality is truly a master. I found the book fascinating and the ending is so satisfying. Even though you can see the logical ending coming, it still feels fresh and surprising when you reach it. Truly wonderful.

The book THE SINGLE SHARD is about two friends who live under a bridge by a stream. There names are Tree -Ear and Crane-Man. Tree-Ear breaks one of Min's pots, Min is a potter in a village called Ch'ulp'o in Korea. Tree-Ear starts working for Min for no pay.

Tree-Ear is the main character in the book. I think Tree-Ear is patient, strong, and consistent. He always brings back rice for Crane-Man. That is a good kid, I think.

When I started my auther study and a librarian came in and talked about authers she said that Linda sue parks storys were based in korea I immediately chose her. I am very interested in other cultures. I thught that this story would be based in the same time set as "When my name was keoko"

This book is an amazing account of a young boy's quest and desire fulfilled. It is a must-read for 3rd through 6th graders. It helps put responsibility and work ethic into perspective. What an accomplishment!

If you like to read historical fiction books you will love to read this book.The book takes place in the twelfth century.C'lup'o,Korea is the setting for the story.

Tree-ear(an orphan)and Crane-man live under a bridge.One day Tree-ear gets caught handling Min's(a potter)work.Now he has to work for him to repay him and his life forever.

I've made it a point to read every Newbery Award winner. So far, this book has been hands down my favorite. Beautiful imagery, plot, character development, and subject matter that is even comfortable for young readers. Out of five stars, I'd give it six.

This book is pretty good especially to those interested in pottery it has a good story and good characters and is definitely worth reading.Eragon (Inhertitance)

This book is a collection of forced "philosophical" thoughts and moral lessons shoehorned in (Shoe-Horn would be a better name for Crane-Man) to a book about medieval Korea, a setting which should be fascinating and compelling, but is reduced to mundanity by boring details and a predictable orphan-on-a-journey plot.

Basically, a grouchy old man takes advantage of an orphan's drive for success in order to get his own personal gain, but this is Totally Okay, because History.

The actual history behind the book is very interesting, so I'm glad it illuminated a bit about this era of pottery that I knew nothing about. But I'd rather Google Image celadon pottery than read this book again.

If you like to read historical fiction books you will love to read this book.The book takes place in the twelfth century.C'lup'o,Korea is the setting for the story.

Tree-ear(an orphan)and Crane-man live under a bridge.One day Tree-ear gets caught handling Min's(a potter)work.Now he has to work for him to repay him and his life forever.

Tree-ear is a young orphan boy who lives under a bridge with Crane-man, an older man with a deformed leg. Tree-ear regularly sneaks onto the potter Min's property to watch him throw a pot. When Min wasn't there on a throwing day Tree-ear took the rare oportunity to closer examine the potters work. Tree-ear was startled while holding a pot and accidentlly broke a pot. Tree-ear must work for the master potter to pay for the damage. When Tree-ear is sent to Emissary Kim in Songdo to show Min's inlayed pottery, his entire world changes with each village.

I think this book took way too long to warm up. But once it did I couldn't put it down. I went through many different emotions while reading this book including, happy and sad. After I read this paperback book I actually understoodthe cover.

Even though it took a long time to get into I would definatly reccomend it.

It was boring I almost fell asleep while my teacher was reading it. I've never read such a boring book. I've read books that I couldn't get into then as I read it I adore it or obsess over it(like the hunger games) but that was just plain boring. I tried to get into the book but by chapter 5 I was bored out of my mind I just couldn't my teacher absolutely adores it and we made clay at the end of the unit that was the only fun part of the unit. I was absolutely bored of of my mind I was about to go insane it's a good thing that I have friends that keep me sane. The only part of the book that struck me by surprise and struck a emotion was when Crane-Man died. My teacher actually cried I was sitting there in class looking at her while she was crying and I was all like "Really?!?!" Yes it was funny she was crying No I wasn't crying but Yes it was boring as S°°°
Sincerely
Anonymous™

A Single Shard Book Review

In the book A Single Shard by Linda Sue Park, a young boy named Tree-ear lives with adopted father Crane-man, under a bridge. Later Tree-ear goes to work with a potter and has to travel a long distance. This book isn't really one of my favorites and I would not recommend it because it doesn't really have a climax or anything that is really interesting.
Since this book is in Korea where there is clay there has to be some potters. And since Tree-ear is an orphan and didn't have anywhere to go (besides the monks) he had to have a father, which turned out to be Crane-man. Also when Tree-ear broke Min's pot (a wonderful potter) he had to pay for it by working for him but then decided to keep on working for him. When people really respect each other, most of the time they would do something thoughtful, like Tree-ear did for Min's wife.
In the beginning of the book it was really boring and didn't really make any sense, but later it was kind of better. I think to improve this book the author could of used some humor through out the character and it would help people like it more. Also some of the characters were not really believable. Some of the were orphans that lived under a bridge with a crippled man with crutches. While I was reading this book I wasn't really interested on what was going to happen next. The reason why I was not interested was because there was no foreshadowing.
As a conclusion I sincerely don't think people should read this book. Some of my reasons are that it's really boring, no humor, wasn't really connected to the characters or the plot and it didn't have any interesting words.

First of all, I would like to say that I was forced to read this book because it was required by my school for Summer Reading, which I think is unnecessary. This book starts out like any other exposition in a book, it introduces the characters, setting, situation, etc. But my main gripe was how horrendously slow paced this book is, it seemed as if absolutely NOTHING will ever happen for about like 8 chapters. All the author talked about was how much Min concentrates, rice, and the clay the potters use. NOTHING ELSE, at least for the first 8 chapters. Definitely not Newberry material

THIS BOOK WAS REALY BORING I REALY DIDINT LIKE IT BECOUSE OF IT WAS BASED OVER 700 YEARS AGO IF YOU LIKE STORYS BASED IN THE 12 CENTURY THEN YOU WILL PROBLY LIKE THIS BOOK BUT IF YOU DONT LIKE BOOKS LIKE THAT I SUGJEST YOU GET ANOTHER BOOK THAT BASED SOMEWHERE IN THIS TIME
(...)

I realy did not like this book. It was confusing becouse it talked nonstop about rice and gourds and crutches. I do not know wat the writer was thinking when they wrote this book. If you like nonstop talking about crutches, Gourds, and rice then you would like this book a lot But if you dont like stuff about crutches, gourds, and rice I suggest the graphic novels

I realy did not like this book. It was confusing becouse it talked nonstop about rice and gourds and crutches. I do not know wat the writer was thinking when they wrote this book. If you like nonstop talking about crutches, Gourds, and rice then you would like this book a lot But if you dont like stuff about crutches, gourds, and rice I suggest the graphic novels

My 10-year old daughter is a very reluctant reader, so when a list of books was assigned for summer reading, I picked the ones that either have been recognized by other people or have won awards. I have trusted "Newberry" medal for years, and it had never let me down. Until this time.

The book was boring, monotonous, with words just flowing pass you without leavin an impression. In order to help my daughter to get through the book, we took turns reading chapters aloud. When it was my turn reading, I was literally falling asleep because for pages and pages nothigh was happening in the plot. I guess, that would make this book a great good night story, your child would have no trouble falling asleep, just be careful that you are still awake by the end of the chapter.

We finished the book and searched the Internet for images of Korean pottery, because even by the end of it, we still had trouble picturing the artifacts described in there. With all those hunderds of words that filled page after page to talk about vases, we still could not understand how they looked like.

A Single Shard

Beautiful book filled with so much Korean history and culture. The setting of the book takes place in twelfth-century Korea, which took me to a different time period and allowed me to appreciate the beauty of hard work and perseverance, specifically in the main character's duties. The characters are well-developed, and I stopped between pages to pause and think about what each character might truly be feeling. I'm a grad student and I enjoyed this book just as a child would. This is a book I would want to read to my kids someday. Moving, passionate, and inspiring story for all ages!