A Single Shard: A Newbery Award Winner - Hardcover

Park, Linda Sue

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0395978270 ISBN 13: 9780395978276

Publisher: Clarion Books, 2001

Synopsis

In this Newbery Medal-winning book set in 12th century Korea, Tree-ear, a 13-year-old orphan, lives under a bridge in Ch’ulp’o, a potters' village famed for delicate celadon ware. He has become fascinated with the potter’s craft; he wants nothing more than to watch master potter Min at work, and he dreams of making a pot of his own someday. When Min takes Tree-ear on as his helper, Tree-ear is elated — until he finds obstacles in his path: the backbreaking labor of digging and hauling clay, Min’s irascible temper, and his own ignorance. But Tree-ear is determined to prove himself — even if it means taking a long, solitary journey on foot to present Min’s work in the hope of a royal commission . . . even if it means arriving at the royal court with nothing to show but a single celadon shard.

About this title

From the Inside Flap:

Read by Graeme Malcolm
Approx. 3 hours, 45 minutes
3 cassettes

Tree-ear, an orphan, lives under a bridge in Ch'ulp'o, a potters' village famed for delicate celadon ware. He has become fascinated with the potter's craft; he wants nothing more than to watch master potter Min at work, and he dreams of making a pot of his own someday. When Min takes Tree-ear on as his helper, Tree-ear is elated–until he finds obstacles in his path: the backbreaking labor of digging and hauling clay, Min's irascible temper, and his own ignorance. But Tree-ear is determined to prove himself–even if it means taking a long, solitary journey on foot to present Min's work in the hope of a royal commission . . . even if it means arriving at the royal court with nothing to show but a single celadon shard.

Graeme Malcolm currently has a featured part in the Broadway musical, Aida. He's read tons of audio books, including Merrick by Ann Rice for Random House Audio.

From the Back Cover:

For the first time he was seeing Min's work at close range. There was a duck that would have fit in the palm of his hand, with a tiny hole in its bill. Though it was now a dull gray, so detailed were its features that he found himself half listening for the sound of a quack. Min had carved the clay to form curve of wing and tilt of head. Even the little tail curled up with an impudence that made Tree-ear smile. The last piece on the shelf was the least interesting - a rectangular lidded box as large as his two hands. It was completely undecorated. Disappointed in its plainness, Tree-ear was ready to turn away when a thought struck him. Outside, the box was plain, but perhaps inside...

About this edition

• Publisher: Clarion Books
• Publication date: 2001
• ISBN 10: 0395978270
• ISBN 13: 9780395978276
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 4
• Number of pages: 160