Reviews
School Library Journal, ALA Booklist, Publishers Weekly, Kirkus Reviews
School Library Journal Best Books
2001
ALA Booklist Editors' Choice
2001
New York Public Library
"100 Titles for Reading and Sharing", 2001
Parents' Choice Memorable New Title
Fall 2001
Cooperative Children's Book Center:
In 12th century Korea, young Tree-Ear is an orphan living with
elderly Crane-Man. Crane-Man, too, is an outcast, but the two
of them share a close and loving bond. Ch'ulp'o, where they
live, is a village known throughout Korea and beyond for the
lovely Celadon green glaze of the pottery created there. Tree-Ear
is fascinated by pottery making, especially the work of potter
Min, the finest in the village. When Tree-Ear accidentally breaks
one of Min's creations, he goes to work for Min to compensate
the potter for his loss. Once the debt is paid, Tree-Ear continues
working for the gruff and taciturn Min, hoping that he will
eventually get a chance to create something at the potter's
wheel. In the meantime, he takes every opportunity he can to
learn, and experiences startling and wonderfully evoked moments
of deeper understanding of the mysteries of the art. He also
shares the benefits of his work, such as the daily meal provided
by Min's kind wife, with Crane-Man. A visit from the royal emissary,
who has the power to assign coveted pottery commissions, ultimately
has life-changing implications for Tree-Ear in Linda Sue Park's
hard-to-put-down and highly appealing novel. An author's note
provides additional historical information on the creation of
Celadon pottery in Korea. (MS) 2001 Cooperative Children's Book
Center
Kirkus
Reviews, January 15, 2001 (starred review):
A homeless boy in a 12th-century Korean village makes himself
surprisingly useful to a master potter. Tree-ear has been
living with Crane-man under a bridge, scavenging for food
and comfort until one day he watches Min, the potter, becoming
so fascinated he later creeps back to look at the finished
pots. Surprised in the act, one of the pots is broken and
Tree-ear must work to pay for the damage. The work is strenuous.
Tree-ear aches and bleeds, but gradually he becomes accustomed
to the work. Min allows him to continue to help in exchange
for food from the master's kind wife. It is in the details
that the story lays claim to a sort of Zen quality. Ethical
decisions regarding acceptance of lunch and his responsibility
to Crane-man are decided with fastidiousness and rectitude.
Each choice of Tree-ear's shows an awareness of pride and
dignity--not just for himself, but for Crane-man, Min, and
his wife. Obtaining a royal commission to make pots worthy
of the palace is at the heart of the plot. Intrigues, danger,
and the same strong focus on doing what is right turn a simple
story into a compelling read. Important details of the times
are folded into the narrative without being obtrusive. Tree-ear's
story conveys a time and place far away and long ago, but
with a simplicity and immediacy that is both graceful and
unpretentious. A timeless jewel.
Publishers Weekly, March 5,
2001 (starred review):
Park (Seesaw Girl) molds a moving tribute to perseverance
and creativity in this finely etched novel set in mid- to
late 12th-century Korea. In Ch'ul'po, a potter's village,
Crane-man (so called because of one shriveled leg) raises
10-year-old orphan Tree-Ear (named for a mushroom that grows
"without benefit of parent-seed"). Though the pair
reside under a bridge, surviving on cast-off rubbish and fallen
grains of rice, they believe "stealing and begging...made
a man no better than a dog." From afar, Tree Ear admires
the work of the potters until he accidentally destroys a piece
by Min, the most talented of the town's craftsmen, and pays
his debt in servitude for nine days. Park convincingly conveys
how a community of artists works (chopping wood for a communal
kiln, cutting clay to be thrown, etc.) and effectively builds
the relationships between characters through their actions
(e.g., Tree Ear hides half his lunch each day for Crane-man,
and Min's soft-hearted wife surreptitiously fills the bowl).
She charts Tree Ear's transformation from apprentice to artist
and portrays his selflessness during a pilgrimage to Songdo
to show Min's work to the royal court--he faithfully continues
even after robbers shatter the work and he has only a single
shard to show. Readers will not soon forget these characters
or their sacrifices. Ages 10-14. (Mar.)
ALA
Booklist, April 2001 (starred review):
When the polite greeting in a society is "Have you eaten
well today?" one may guess that subsistence is of prime
concern. Surely no one in this twelfth-century Korean village
is more accustomed to hunger than the orphan boy Tree-ear
and his guardian Crane-man, who is lame. They sleep under
a bridge in summer and in a pit in winter, eating what they
can forage in the woods or garbage piles. At the age of 12,
Tree-ear becomes an assistant to the potter Min. A hard taskmaster
to himself and the boy, Min is the maker of the finest celadon
ware in Ch'ul'po, a village known for its pottery. When Min
entrusts two precious pots to Tree-ear to deliver to Songdo,
the boy must make his way across miles of unknown territory,
relying on his courage and wits to prove himself worthy of
Min's trust. This quiet, but involving story draws readers
into a very different time and place. Though the society has
its own conventions, the hearts and minds and stomachs of
the characters are not so far removed from those of people
today. Readers will feel the hunger and cold that Tree-ear
experiences, as well as his shame, fear, gratitude, and love.
A well-crafted novel with an unusual setting. --Carolyn Phelan
School Library Journal, (May
2001) (starred review):
In this tale of courage and devotion, a single shard from
a celadon vase changes the life of a young boy and his master.
In 12th-century Korea, the village of Ch'ulp'o is famous for
its pottery. The orphan Tree-ear spends his days foraging
for food for himself and Crane-man, a lame straw weaver who
has cared for him for many years. Because of his wanderings,
Tree-ear is familiar with all of the potters in the village,
but he is especially drawn to Min. When he drops a piece Min
has made, Tree-ear begins to work for him to pay off his debt,
but stays on after the debt is paid because he longs to learn
to create beautiful pots himself. Sent to the royal court
to show the king's emissary some new pottery, Tree-ear makes
a long journey filled with disaster and learns what it means
to have true courage. This quiet story is rich in the details
of life in Korea during this period. In addition it gives
a full picture of the painstaking process needed to produce
celadon pottery. However, what truly stands out are the characters:
the grumpy perfectionist Min; his kind wife; wise Crane-man;
and most of all, Tree-ear, whose determination and lively
intelligence result in good fortune. Like Park's Seesaw Girl
(1999) and The Kite Fighters (2000, both Clarion), this book
not only gives readers insight into an unfamiliar time and
place, but it is also a great story.--Barbara Scotto