Module 10 The Dreamer

Ryan, P. M. (2010). The Dreamer. New York: Scholastic, Inc.

Summary:

Neftali is a young boy who lives in Chile and dreams of becoming a writer one day. However, his domineering father has other plans for Neftali; he wants him to become a doctor or a businessman. Nefhtali is forced to change so that his father is none the wiser to his writings. We find out that Neftali is the famous poet, Pablo Neruda.

Review:

Booklist starred (February 1, 2010 (Vol. 106, No. 11))

“Grades 4-8. Respinning the childhood of the widely beloved poet Pablo Neruda, Ryan and Sís collaborate to create a stirring, fictionalized portrait of a timid boy’s flowering artistry. Young Neftalí Reyes (Neruda’s real name) spends most of his time either dreamily pondering the world or cowering from his domineering father, who will brook no such idleness from his son. In early scenes, when the boy wanders rapt in a forest or spends a formative summer by the seashore, Ryan loads the narrative with vivid sensory details. And although it isn’t quite poetry, it eloquently evokes the sensation of experiencing the world as someone who savors the rhythms of words and gets lost in the intricate surprises of nature. The neat squares of Sís’ meticulously stippled illustrations, richly symbolic in their own right, complement and deepen the lyrical quality of the book. As Neftalí grows into a teen, he becomes increasingly aware of the plight of the indigenous Mapuche in his Chilean homeland, and Ryan does a remarkable job of integrating these themes of social injustice, neither overwhelming nor becoming secondary to Neftalí’s story. This book has all the feel of a classic, elegant and measured, but deeply rewarding and eminently readable. Ryan includes a small collection of Neruda’s poetry and a thoughtful endnote that delves into how she found the seeds for the story and sketches Neruda’s subsequent life and legacy” (Titlewave, 2011).

Impression:

I knew that I was going to like The Dreamer even before I listened to it. After reading another book by the author Pam Munoz Ryan (Esperanza Rising); I had wanted to read more books written by her. Some of the following are some quotes from her book that give you an idea of how she combined prose with poetry.

In her fictionalized biography of Neruda, Pam Muñoz Ryan asks, "Does a metamorphosis begin from the outside in? Or from the inside out?"

"Which is sharper? The hatchet that cuts down the dream? Or the scythe that clears a path for another?"

"Where is the heaven of lost stories? Who spins the elaborate web that entraps the timid spirit? What wisdom does the eagle whisper to those who are learning to fly?"

Library setting:

I would have students write a poem of their own about their own lives and to be as creative as possible with lots of details and visual elements. Their poems can be about a time they were sad or happy. I would ask some students to share what they have written.

　

Titlewave. (2011). [Review of The Dreamer by Pam Munoz Ryan]. Retrieved from http://www.titlewave.com/search?SID=e5b34f705ee8e8b85e768472b4927faa