Linda Sue Park’s A Single Shard is the tale of the orphan Tree-Ear’s passing through adolescence. Set in 12th-century Korea, the book opens with Tree-ear and his caretaker-friend Crane-man living under a bridge near a town known for its pottery, Ch’ulpo. Tree-ear and Crane-man eke out a living begging and digging through the waste piles of the residents of Ch’ulpo until Tree-ear is one day caught after sneaking into a potter’s workshop to admire the work. Though Tree-ear had no ill intentions for the artisan’s products, when he is caught he accidentally damages one of the potter’s pieces. Tree-ear, ever-committed to justice, offers the potter his services in doing “grunt work” in order to pay for the damage he caused. Reluctantly, Potter Min agrees, and so the book’s central relationship begins.
The Tree-ear/Min relationship evolves over the course of the book through several events. Tree-ear learns of Min’s deceased son as Min begins to appreciate the boy’s eagerness, and so the relationship deepens. Eventually a royal emissary—a man who gives out royal commissions to worthy artisans—comes to Ch’ulpo. Min, unfortunately, is upstaged by the creatively gifted but impatient and inconsistent Kang. Min, however, manages to impress the emissary enough that the emissary suggests Min try something using Kang’s new technique and send it to the capitol for consideration for a commission. Min tries to politely refuse, giving his age and frailty as an excuse. Tree-ear, against his better judgment, tells Min that he will take the sample to the capitol if Min will create it.
Min, of course, does create the sample, and Tree-ear leaves behind the only home he has ever known, including his constant companion/friend/caretaker Crane-man. Along the way, Tree-ear is accosted by thieves, who break the two sample works spitefully. Tree-ear, heartbroken, thinks he must turn back and disappoint all those he left behind. Taking to heart an adage Crane-man once taught him, Tree-ear instead heads toward the capitol carrying only the largest piece he could find of the shattered vase. He bluffs his way into the emissary’s office, knowing that telling the guards what he has brought would only get him laughed at. The emissary, however, proves a kind and understanding man, awarding Min the commission on the grounds that even the single shard he has seen is an adequate representation of the skill he sought. Tree-ear is sent home via sea along with the good news.
Upon arriving, Tree-ear is shocked to hear of Crane-man death—the old man had fallen into the river, and the cold shock had killed him. However, Tree-ear’s grief slowly subsides as he realizes that he now has a place in the home of Min, who heretofore had been stand-offish. Though the old potter is still gruff and terse, it is clear that his respect for Tree-ear has grown immensely as he welcomes him into his home, something he had previously felt would dishonor his dead son.
A Single Shard manages to convey a simple but powerful message while integrating important elements of children’s literature. The book’s plot is understandable but nuanced enough to hold a child’s interest, while Park’s use of a unique, real setting strengthens the work as a whole and introduces a certain educational bent into what could have been a straight fantastical book.
Park as a wonderful website that includes a biography of the author, her blog, a bibliography of her books, and even a fun section with trivia games for fans. The site can be found at http://www.lindasuepark.com/. She has written both picture books and novels for young readers. Click, The Kite Fighters, and When My Name Was Keoko are novels. Tap Dancing on the Roof and Mung-Mung are picture books. These are only a few of the books she has written; a complete list can be found on her website.
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