April Read/Lydia

Title: A Single Shard

Author: Linda Sue Park

ISBN: 0-440-41851-8

Lydia's Read: 

I was very interested in this book “A Single Shard”. The motive of this story is an inlaid celadon pottery in Korea. It is called the “Thousand Crane Vase”. The vase is the finest example of inlaid celadon pottery. Its maker is unknown.

This story was set in a small village on the west coast of Korea, mid –to late 12^th century. Tree-ear and his old friend, Crane-man, lived under a bridge. They were homeless and had no relatives. Tree-ear was an orphan; a monk had brought him to the bridge when he was a toddler. Crane-man lived there for several years before Tree-ear came. He had a twisted calf and foot when he was born. He lived through life with a one leg like a crane. He shared the space under the bridge with Tree-ear, and also shared his reading of the world around them. His thought influenced Tree-ear’s. For example, “Stealing and begging make a man no better than a dog”

Their village had become an important place for ceramics by its location and soil. It was the easiest access to the northern part of the country, and the clay from the village pits contained the right amount of iron to produce the exquisite gray-green color of celadon.

Tree-ear admired potter Min and he often peered at Min working between the leaves of the tree for many months. One day he broke Min’s pottery accidentally, and he couldn't afford to pay for the damage. He had to work for 9 days for the potter to compensate the damage. After 9 days, Tree-ear asked potter Min to let him continue working without payment, and the potter allowed him. Tree-ear worked hard every day, chopping wood, digging clay and draining clay etc. He really wanted to learn how to make a pottery, but the potter was not nice to him and did not give any instruction. The potter thought he could only teach pottery to his son, but his son died a few years ago. Tree-ear was deeply disappointed but he always carefully watched potter’s working.

The Emissary Kim, who has the role to choose the potter for royal commission, came to the village. He saw many potteries in this village, and he found the finest celadon glaze in Min’s pottery. But the pottery was not inlay style. He wanted to see a new technique and asked Min to bring it to palace if Min produced an inlaid celadon. So Tree-ear volunteered to take Min’s pottery to the King’s Court. It was a long and dangerous journey. Tree-ear met two robbers on his way and they broke the pottery. Though the pottery was broken, Tree-ear continued his journey with a single shard which showed inlaid celadon work. Emissary Kim was impressed by a single shard and Tree-ear’s eagerness. He appointed potter Min to royal commission. When Tree-ear had returned to his village, he found out Crane-man died a few days ago due to the collapse of the rotten bridge. His heart was broken and he felt he was alone in the world. At the end of the story, the potter suggested to him to live in the potter’s house and to learn making pottery instead of his dead son.

This book doesn't say that Tree-ear made the remarkable vase. But I imagined that Tree-ear made the “Thousand Crane Vase”. Tree-ear hoped Crane-man would have two good legs like a flying crane on the vase in a life after death.