Yann Doutreleau is the youngest of seven brothers—all twins but him. He is undersized—only about two feet tall—and electively mute. His par ents believe Yann to be slow-witted, but this is far from the truth. Yann leads his brothers westward across France, evading authorities, until they reach the sea. The narrative voices, individual as each brother, parent, and stranger who encounters Yann, create a distinctive storytelling style that positions readers in the center of a gaggle of eyewitnesses, all vying to be heard. Mourlevat’s tale is a loosely based modern adaptation of Charles Perrault’s “Hop o’ My Thumb” (c.f., Andrew Lang’s The Blue Fairy Book, 1965, pp. 231–41). 2007 Batchelder Award, winner of France’s prestigious Prix Sorcières. lmp

Originally published as L’enfant Océan in French by Pocket Jeunesse France, in 1999. Translated by Y.