Tree-ear is an unusual orphan who was taken in by Crane-man, a lame man who lives under a bridge just outside of the potter's village of Ch'ulp'o. Tree-ear is fascinated particularly with the After accidentally damaging the artwork of Min, one of the most famous potters in the town, Tree-ear volunteers to serve Min for 9 days and begins to learn what it takes to become a truly talented potter. When a royal emmisary comes to town looking for something new for the king, Tree-ear's service results in a new journey to discover both his past and his future.

Park's writing is perfect for this age group. We can identify with Tree-ear, and we feel his losses and his learning quickly. Park uses an incredible amount of history, but explains it so subtly that it doesn't feel like a history lesson at all (in my context, I learned very little about Far East history, which is really unfortunate). I loved the parallelisms of Tree-ear coming of age (though I don't think this reads like a typical coming-of-age book) and him being able to "feel" the refinement of the clay he's working with. I think Park's strength besides her descriptions are the consistency with her characters. Really great work.

Though we are saddened by Crane-man's death, we also feel Tree-ear's detachment. Yes, he was a parent figure and all he knew, but also not a real parent. This scene was beautifully done.
Tree-ear's rename at the end and his "adoption" by this family (though maybe a little reluctantly by Min!) was beautifully done and true to the characters of he and his wife. Excellent read. Recommended.

Pairings: Under a Painted Sky,