Module 10: The Dreamer by Pam Munoz Ryan and Peter Sis

• Ryan, P. M., & Sís, P. (2010). The dreamer. New York: Scholastic Press.

BOOK SUMMARY

Neftali is a young boy who is physically quite frail, but who has a giant world of thoughts and ideas inside of him.  He lives in a daydream, and his love of words is apparent to all who know him.  Unfortunately, his father insists Neftali exude a strong and boisterous exterior, shunning the inclinations of his son, and demanding a future steeped in machismo ideals.  

Impressions and opinion of the book

The Dreamer touched me in a way I have not been touched in a long time.  Quite literally, the text spoke to me, as Ryan tapped into the heart and soul of the young Pablo Neruda.  While the illustrations by Peter Sis allude to the imaginative nature of Neftali, Ryan's words solidify these feelings within the reader, virtually creating a stream of consciousness between Neruda as a child to the reader of today.  Ryan seemingly channels the poet as she takes us back to his beginnings and the people and places that inspired him.  There is such beauty and empowerment the words and images bring, that I want to tell everyone I know about this inspiring work.  While I did not have an overbearing father as Neftali does, I can identify with his shy exterior covering an inner self just bursting with millions of questions and words and ideas.  That Neftali grows into such a pivotal figure in the world of literature gives hope and inspiration to so many children in similar situations, while giving power to the words within them. 

Full-Text Review

Ryan’s fictional evocation of the boy who would become Pablo Neruda is rich, resonant and enchanting. Simple adventures reveal young Neftalí’s painful shyness and spirited determination, his stepmother’s love and his siblings’ affection and his longing for connection with his formidable, disapproving father. The narrative captures as well rain falling in Temuco, the Chilean town where he was raised, and his first encounters with the forest and the ocean. Childhood moments, gracefully re-created, offer a glimpse of a poet-to-be who treasures stories hidden in objects and who recognizes the delicate mutability of the visible world, while the roots of Neruda’s political beliefs are implied in the boy’s encounters with struggles for social justice around him. Lines from a poem by Ryan along with Sís’s art emphasize scenes and introduce chapters, perfectly conveying the young hero’s dreamy questioning. The illustrator’s trademark drawings deliver a feeling of boundless thought and imagination, suggesting, with whimsy and warmth, Neftalí’s continual transformation of the everyday world into something transcendent. A brief selection of Neruda’s poems (in translation), a bibliography and an author’s note enrich an inviting and already splendid, beautifully presented work. (Historical fiction. 9-13)

Kirkus (2010). [Review for the book The dreamer by P.M. Ryan and P. Sis].   Retrieved from https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/pam-munoz-ryan/the-dreamer/

Library Use

While it is difficult to read a full novel in the library, I think finding chapters of this book to share with older elementary through high school students is vital.  The poetic lines that introduce each new chapter could be a writing prompt to start conversations about writers and readers and how one grows in each role.  The chapters near the end could also be used with older students to highlight the power of words, not just in our own lives, but also in the lives of others.