THE PULL of the OCEAN- Jean- Claude Mourlevat

Mourlevat, Jean- Claude. 2006. THE PULL of the OCEAN. New York: Random House Inc. ISBN -13: 978-0385-73348-9
Translated from the French by Y.Maudet
Summary
Yann is a ten year boy that has never experienced love or happiness from his parents in his life. He was born alone, not as a twin as his other six brothers and a “miniature”. At age ten he was barely two and a half feet tall; with features not that of a dwarf but features that are harmonious to his size. He was small and different from everyone around him. Yann was intelligent and yearned to learn and be free of the parents that found his intelligence disturbing. Yann was unable to communicate with his voice, but through what seemed to magic he was able to speak so that others who cared to listen could understand. Yann had his brothers and they proved to be his lifeline to a new life away from all he knew. Yann used his size and his intelligence to get to the ocean. The ocean was Yann’s freedom and he smiled the most beautiful smile as the ship went due west. This book is a translation from French to English that does not lose the meaning of brotherhood and love for Yann the boy that was different.
Analysis
Jean – Claude Mourlevat provides the reader with some insights into the life of Yann and his brothers. While the parent provided for the family, it was limited and many times finding food for the family was left up to the mother. The parents had little use for education and commented, “His brothers were already attending school, but at least they didn’t try to learn nothin’.”(p. 15) While Yann loved school and was always showing it until the father smacked him so hard his nose bled. The parents made sure that Yann knew he was a disappointment and not worthy of their love.
The setting for the story was the home of Yann and the land that lay between their home and the Atlantic Ocean near Bordeaux, France. The farm was secluded from the road; it was ugly and dirty with a heap of scrap metal piled up in the yard. The weeds were over grown and the roof was falling apart. It was a dirty and unpleasant place.
The children traveled five days going west towards the ocean and their journey took them through small villages, along back roads and river banks while cold, freezing rain continued to fall. The seven children were always traveling west towards the ocean with Yann as the leader.
The brothers in this story each had their relationship with their “little” brother. They loved and took care of Yann and more than that, they understood their brother. He was respected for what he knew and was their leader on a long and scary journey. The brothers always knew Yann was special not just different.

“The parents took a dislike to him.” They took out their disappointment out on the tiny child.
The story portrays the positive in being different and overcoming diversity. The love the brothers had for their brother, made a difference in Yann’s life. Yann loved his brothers, but he could not endure life on the farm any longer he needed his brothers to be a part of him getting out. At the end the older brother knew he had to let Yann go and he held his brother’s hand until the ambulance stopped in Bordeaux and that would be the last time Yann spoke to his brother. “Tell the others, won’t you?” were his last words.
The author portrays the characters in a variety of ways that allow the reader to understand the physical, emotional and social attributes. The feeling of wanting the children to have a better life as they endure the five days of hard times has the reader hoping they make it to the ocean. At the end when it is only Yann that makes it the reader is left with the feeling that all will be fine. The simple words of “I’m a grandfather and a child like this one can turn me to putty”, assures the reader Yann is in a better place.
Reviews and Awards
WINNER 2007 Mildred L. Batchelder Award Winner
WINNER 2007 ALA Notable Children's Book
Starred review, School Library Journal, January 1, 2007:
"A well-crafted mystery awaits anyone reading this fabled jigsaw puzzle . . . a memorable novel that readers will find engaging and intellectually satisfying."

Starred review, Publishers Weekly, January 1, 2007:
"Mourlevat enchantingly blends the harshly read and the make-believe ... [in this] effectively daunting, fluidly translated tale."
Kirkus Reviews "The prose is nightmarish but occasionally lovely, and older readers will appreciate its dark magic."

Connections
Map lessons:
Finding the towns and the route the boys may have taken.
This book is one that I would use with older students third grade and up.
The book is compared to the story of Tom Thumb so having students doing a compare and contrast to Tom Thumb.
There are many discussion opportunities for older students.
The students can identify the character’s attribute- social, emotional and physical. Find the words used to create the visual image you create as this story is read. What did the author do to elicit emotions from the reader and what emotions did the reader experience. The social aspect from home to school could be examined to see if this contributed to the feelings the parents had for their son.
Students can look at each set of twins and find their special connection to Yann.
Have students explain the parent’s reaction to their son, Yann.
What were the family dynamics in the home?
I really liked this book and will recommend to teachers in my school that taught third- fifth grade.
I would not use this as a read aloud in my first grade class at this time, although I may use parts of the book when teaching about creating visual pictures and using what we refer to as “sparkle words” to make our writing more interesting. The sentence that stands out for me is “Everything about him was harmonious, but everything was … small.”(p.3) The word harmonious is something I think my first grade students would find interesting.