A Single Shard

By Linda Sue Park

A Single Shard tells the story of a young orphan named Tree-ear who lives under a bridge with an older friend named Crane-man.  There are many potters in the town where they live, and Tree-ear is particularly interested in the work of a potter named Min.  One day Tree-ear accidentally breaks the work of Min as he admires it, and in order to pay his debt to Min he offers to work for him for two weeks.  Tree-ear works hard for Min, and is disappointed to find out his work will not involve working with clay to make pottery.  After the two weeks are up, Tree-ear asks Min to allow him to continue to work for him.  When a royal emissary requests that Min send him his work to be considered for a commission, Tree-ear volunteers to travel the long distance to deliver Min's pottery, and thus embarks on a remarkable journey far from home.

The story takes place in the Ch'ulp'o village during the twelfth century.  The vivid descriptions of the town and the way of life allow readers to be transported in time.   At the end of the book, the author tells what information was used to base her descriptions of the places, events, and time period described in her book.  Young readers easily identify with Tree-ear and his experiences.  His and Crane-man's experiences are real and believable, and seem natural for the time and place where the events unfold.  While the attitudes and values depicted in the story are very typical of the times, many of the universal themes, such as perseverance and friendship, are quite relevant to modern times.