A Single Shard (2002)

Winner of the 2002 Newbery Medal

Tree-ear, an orphan, lives under a bridge in Chulpo, a potter's village famed for delicate celadon ware. He has become fascinated with the potters 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.