A Single Shard

I haven't blogged much lately about books we are reading for history, but I think that is due in part to the time period of history we've been in.  Although much of ancient history is fascinating, I find the amount of good children's literature on the subject lacking.  Reading well-written historical fiction books with rich characters who make us want to learn more about their culture and time period will always be my favorite way to teach history. 

We are now half-way through the middle ages, and I picked up a book for Chloe recently that I remembered enjoying with my older kids.  A Single Shard by Linda Sue Park takes place in 12th century Korea in a potter's village.  Through the eyes of an orphan boy, Tree-Ear, we are learning to appreciate the art of Korean celadon pottery, but the characters and how they learn to care for and honor one another is what captivated my heart as I read this Newberry award winning book.

While in the midst of this book, you will want to share the video that I found on Linda Sue Park's website.  The video shows modern day Korean pottery masters at work.  Fascinating!

We also tried our hand at sculpting some clay. 

I found lots of activities on the web to accompany the reading of this delightful story, but Chloe especially wanted to sink her hands into some clay after reading about the potter's wheel and even wanted a potter's wheel to call her own!  Don't miss this fantastic read.