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    The Dreamer
    The Dreamer
    The Dreamer
    Audiobook3 hours

    The Dreamer

    Written by Pam Munoz Ryan

    Narrated by Tony Chiroldes

    4/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    Neftalí’s father wants him to be a doctor. But Neftalí is not like other children. How he reconciles his own dreams with his father’s is at the heart of this profoundly moving story of the life of poet Pablo Neruda.

    From the time he is a young boy, Neftalí hears the call of a mysterious voice. Even when the neighborhood children taunt him, and when his harsh, authoritarian father ridicules him, and when he doubts himself, Neftalí knows he cannot ignore the call. Under the canopy of the lush rain forest, into the fearsome sea, and through the persistent Chilean rain, he listens and he follows.

    Combining elements of magical realism with biography, poetry, and literary fiction, Pam Muñoz Ryan takes listeners on a rare journey of the heart and imagination.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherScholastic
    Release dateApr 1, 2010
    ISBN9780545238847
    The Dreamer

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    Reviews for The Dreamer

    4/5

    261 ratings39 reviews

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    • 5/5
      I loved this book about a very possible, very true, youth of Neftali in Chile before he changed his name to Pablo Neruda. The language used us very visual and poetic and takes you into the emotional background of a young poet. The audio version is wonderfully effective. I highly recommend this book to lovers of the arts and literature of all ages. My gratitude goes to the writer, Pam Munoz Ryan, for all the research put into it and the large dose of sensitivity that made this work of fiction very believable.
    • 5/5
      This is a great book for children to learn about Pablo Neruda and also to never give up on your dreams.
    • 3/5
      3.5 stars. A fictionalized account of Pablo Neruda's childhood. Definitely enjoyed it, but it was a little long and the magical realism confused me in parts, leaving me to wonder how well children understand it. Of course, their imaginations probably think nothing of it!
    • 5/5
      Ages 9-12Young Neftali loves to collect treasures, and finds value in the smallest things. Rocks, twigs, feathers, birds’ nests, a muddy boot, pinecones, old keys – these are all items important to Neftali and his thoughts. For Neftali is a thinker, a dreamer, a writer – all activities his father disapproves of, for thinking and dreaming make one weak.Neftali and his family go to the seaside for the summer, but it is no vacation. Every morning Neftali and his sister must swim in the powerful surf, fighting against the currents and their father’s harsh demands. When Father is satisfied that they have swum far enough out into the ocean, Neftali and Laurita are allowed back on the beach.The Dreamer wistfully and artfully imagines the childhood of famous Chilean poet Pablo Neruda. Illustrations by Peter Sis combine with Neruda’s haunting, beautiful poetry to poignantly bring to life the dreams of young Neftali.
    • 4/5
      A book-related website that I barely ever check sent me some spam about how I could win a free book if I filled out a survey. I doubted that there were any books, and if there were, of course I wouldn't win one, but for some reason, in my boredom I filled out the survey anyways.Months passed, and I got a mysterious package in the mail. It was from the website, saying congratulations, you've won a book!It seemed to be a children's book, and even had drawings in it. Not the type of book I'd ever read, but I decided to read it anyways, in time to trade it in to the bookstore I would be visiting on the weekend."The Dreamer," however, is not going anywhere. It is staying firmly on my shelves for all time.At once, this book catches the reader almost alarmingly with its gorgeous prose, its simplistic storytelling, its innocent but perceptively childlike analogies, and lyric beauty.Though normally I cannot connect with young children as main characters, I related to Neftali, and will not be forgetting him anytime soon.His struggles with his family, his love of stories both in his head and on paper, and his outlook on life - hopeful, but also depressingly realistic - were very endearing. The beauty of this book is a tribute to the poet that our main character would become, the famous Pablo Neruda. Pam Munoz Ryan and is an author who is known to me, and I have read two of her other books (Esperanza Rising and Riding Freedom). Both were good, especially since I read them when I was younger, but she has truly outdone herself here. I am very much looking forward to what she writes next, because this is unquestionably her masterpiece. You really just must read this wonderful story to appreciate it. It really is beautiful, and I found myself jotting down a few little phrases here and there, just because they deserve to remembered. Such as, Neftali wonders about "the color of a minute," hears "the river breathing," watches the sea "bowing" to him and listening to its "thunderous applause," and calls his writing "the remnants of his soul." All of those, especially the last one, were very striking. I most likely would have remembered them without even making a note of them.I cannot leave out Peter Sis - the illustrator. His drawings are simple, and very childlike. They suit the book perfectly. Ones that stuck out for me were:- An ocean with islands contained in a spoon- A bird made of words rising out of a fire- A tiny sprout growing from a tree trunk that has been freshly cutThis is just a beautiful book that I would recommend to anyone of any age.
    • 4/5
      Reason for Reading: I wouldn't have read this if I hadn't received a review copy but Ryan is the author of one of my son's favourite books that he has had read to him multiple times, Riding Freedom, and I love Peter Sis' artwork. Besides, I always enjoy a good biography, even children's fictional biographies. The poetry angle did worry me though as I am not a fan of poetry in general (except for the silly, rhyming kind ala Shel Silverstien and specific epic poems).This tells the story of Neftali Reyes' childhood, better known by his pen name Pablo Neruda, a great 20th century poet and winner of the Nobel Prize, though I've never heard of him before. And quickly sums up his adulthood in the closing chapters. The last pages include a sampling of his poetry. He had a rough, some would call abusive childhood. A mother who died 2 months after his birth, he and his two siblings were raised by a domineering father who had no patience for daydreaming or idleness. He had worked himself up from poverty and expected his sons to have careers that he never had the opportunity for himself. The eldest son wanted to be a singer, and this was driven out of him brutally by the father who set him up as a businessman after sending him to college. His plans for Neftali were even loftier, expecting him to be a doctor. But Neftali fell short of his expectations in every aspect, being a thin, gangly, weak, sickly child who daydreamed, collected bits and pieces of detritus and loved to write. His father tried everything in his power to drive this creativity out of him, but with the encouragement of a newspaperman Uncle he was able to hold on to his ambition, deep down, until he escaped his father's influence. He did change his name though to save his father from the embarrassment of publicly having a poet and government dissident for a son.The story of Neftali's life is very interesting and the book reads with a gentle poetic flow, in keeping with its subject matter. The book has been printed in green ink as that is how Pablo Neruda himself liked to write. The author Pam Ryan has inserted her own short poetry here and there and the illustrations are accompanied by poetic questions in the form of Neruda's own "The Book of Questions". This will all be a bonus to poetry lovers especially those familiar with Neruda himself. Not liking artsy poetry myself, it didn't appeal to me but didn't bother me much either.Also the author has used magical realism to delve inside Neftali's imaginative, daydreaming personality writing his fantasies as if they were indeed happening. For instance, there is a scene where he finds a rhinoceros beetle in the forest for the first time and is fascinated with it, as he watches it, it grows larger and larger until it kneels down its front legs and offers itself to Neftali who then climbs aboard and sets off for a ride through the forest. I am a big fan of magical realism but this didn't work for me in this book as it just came across as a device the author was using to make the book even more artsy and poetic. There are several such episodes but they are not overwhelming. Overall, I really did enjoy the story of Neftali Reyes' childhood and would read his memoirs or a non-fiction biography if I happened to cross paths with them but I was not overly impressed with the artsy-f*rtsy ingredients added to this book and would have much preferred a straight historical fiction. Critics, I'm sure will love the book for its artfulness though.
    • 4/5
      Lovely language like: "For a month, the clouds spilled. Mountains slid into valleys, houses wallowed in shallow lakes..."
    • 4/5
      Neftali is a small, skinny boy. His Latin American father demands sons that are macho like him. The family consisting of his step mother, older brother and younger sister, are all afraid of the head of the family. Te least thing can set him off, flying into a fit of rage. When his father is not home, there is a relaxed feeling, and laughter which stops immediately upon hearing his approaching footsteps.Neftali is a dreamer, a young boy with the soul of an artist. He sees imaginary images in the smallest object, making something that is lack luster to others, stellar and shiny to him.The middle child, he protects his youngest sister, while trying to understand his older brothers hostility toward his father. All too soon, Naftali is also subjected to the same treatment as his brother. There is no way to calm the brutish father, making Netfali escape into dreams. His brother has a stunningly beautiful operatic voice. Longing to pursue training in music, the father ridicules and forbids.When his father discovers all his writing journals, they are burned and Neftali knows he cannot remain strong and live in this environment.Based upon the real life of the Pultizer Prize winning poet Pablo Neruda, this story focuses on the determination, strength and resilience of the human spirit which calls to be free.The pages are interspersed with lovely poetic phrases and beautiful images.Highly recommended Four stars.
    • 5/5
      This book is a beautiful tribute to Neruda...lyrical & magical. I’m planning to read it with a group of fourth graders.
    • 5/5
      This is a fictionalized biography of the Chilean poet Pablo Neruda. It tells how he grew up as a shy child with an overbearing father, and found his way through words.
    • 5/5
      Poetic, inspiring, and magical. A lovely story about imagination and reality, the courage to dream, and the power of love. I adored this so much!
    • 5/5
      Very good book. Much figurative language is to be spotted in this book! Recommended for ages 7+
    • 3/5
      Part of this novel felt very drawn out, and parts of it (especially that would pique your interest) felt very rushed. Towards the end it felt like the author was given til midnight to finish the book and tried to cram years of his life in. Ultimately, not my favorite from this author.
    • 4/5
      Lovely poetry-biography about Pablo Neruda, although I'd have liked to know more of what his life was like after childhood. But I suppose that is for another book. Y such huge font, tho? I did like that it was green; Pablo Neruda wrote using green ink, saying it was the color of hope. Peter Sís' illustrations were very dreamy and nice. The cover was lovely, as was the storytelling. 4.5/5
    • 1/5
      Bored. So bored.
    • 3/5
      New thoughts:
      After writing this review, I found I couldn't stop thinking about the book. In fact, I woke up this morning thinking about it. I picked up the book and turned to the back and read the Author's Note for the first time. I have to admit, I very rarely read those. Anyway, I found out something interesting which changes a bit how I look at this book.
      The main character of this book (Neftali) is actually based on a real person, Pablo Neruda. According to the Author's Note, he was one of the most important literary poets of the twentieth century and he won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1971. He used his voice, his poetry, to speak to the common people. He was very passionate about both love and despair. When armed guards of the military government came to search and ransack his house, Neruda announced, "Look around - there's only one thing of danger for you here: poetry."
      I want to add this to my review because it made me think differently about the book. It doesn't exactly change what I said, my heart will never let me understand how people can treat children like that or not stand up for them. It does make me more awed by Neftali's ability to nurture his own passion, even as a young boy. I can see this as a powerful story about the resilience of children. I still did not enjoy reading it, but it means more to me now.

      From the time he is a young boy, Neftali hears the call of a mysterious voice. Even when the neighborhood children taunt him, and when his harsh, authoritarian father ridicules him, and when he doubts himself, Neftali knows he cannot ignore the call. Under the canopy of the lush rain forest, into the vast and fearsome sea, and through the persistent Chilean rain, he listens and he follows...

      This book is about Neftali and his childhood in Chile. He has a very strict, domineering father and a meek, subservient step-mother. He has an older brother who is an amazing singer but the father flat-out refuses to allow it. And he has a younger sister who he tries to protect. Neftali feels very strongly about things, he has a poet's heart and imagination. His father tries very had to squash this, but Neftali is resilient.

      I didn't much care for this book. I do get the appeal. It's a moving story with beautiful language and images. It is a good book for children to read to learn about different literary devices. But I didn't care for the story itself. I hated the father and blamed the mother for not standing up for the kids. I did admire that Neftali worked very hard to keep his dreams alive. And I understand that some families live like this, but it isn't something I enjoy reading about. I read it with my son because he was reading it for his English class. He thought the book was sad and didn't care for it much either.

      Recommended to:
      People who like to read about other cultures, family relationships or about kids overcoming obstacles to follow their dreams.
    • 4/5
      recounts the early life of Pablo Neruda, with illustrations by Peter Sis.
    • 5/5
      This biography by Pam Munoz Ryan poetically tells the story of Pablo Neruda's life from childhood until he leaves home to attend the university. The language eloquently describes the inner thoughts of Neruda - who was called Neftali at the time. It captures Neruda's feelings and ideas as he struggles to cope with an authoritarian father who refuses to allow him to be a writer. Although his father crushes his creativity at every turn, Neruda is able to develop his curiosity of the world and eventually is able to find the courage to become his voice and become the cherished poet of Chile. It is a beautiful book- and I love Peter Sis's illustrations. This book is definitely a book to be used in a gifted classroom. Students will appreciate Neruda's love for nature and his ability to transcend his surroundings by using his imagination.
    • 5/5
      This is a beautiful book. Words and pictures combine to tell a story that is lyrical as well as real. A poet, not well known to children, this fictional story of Pablo Neruda is an example of the best childrens ' literature can be.
    • 5/5
      Beautiful! Sure to win some awards.
    • 4/5
      Neftali knows what it is to be different. He is not strong like his older brother. He is not cheerful like his little sister. He doesn’t like sports like the other boys at his school. No, Neftali is a dreamer. He is a boy who gets lost in observing the natural world around him, a boy who is absorbed in listening to the sounds that surround him every day, a boy who thrills to the fire for justice he sees in his newspaper-writing Uncle Orlando’s verbal fights for the oppressed. Yes, Neftali knows what it is to be different – but Neftali’s father – Neftali’s father does not know what it is to be different and does not, will not, understand. Neftali dreads his father’s footsteps and the dissatisfaction that always follows: “Do you want to be a skinny weakling forever and amount to nothing?” Every time Neftali’s father tries to stamp out Neftali’s hopes and dreams there is that chance that they will be gone forever. Every time Neftali has to find the courage and inner strength to be true to himself – sometimes with more success than others – but Neftali keeps trying, keeps working to figure out who he really is instead of just being what his father wants him to be and in the end, Neftali finds that who he is, is someone truly amazing.

      The Dreamer is the fictionalized retelling of famous Chilean poet Pablo Neruda’s childhood. Written in green ink, just as Neruda wrote his poetry, Pam Munoz Ryan’s text is rich with details and imagery of the natural world that Neruda loved and Peter Sis’s soft, pointallistic illustrations offer the perfect complement to this quiet coming-of-age tale.

      When I read this, it mostly struck me as being not my kind of book at all, but it's stuck with me better than I expected so I'm upgrading my rating by one star.
    • 4/5
      I love the poetic language in this one. Not sure many kids will really enjoy it, but adults should really give it a chance!
    • 5/5
      The moment I finished reading The Dreamer, written by Pam Muñoz Ryan and illustrated by Peter Sís (2010), I wanted to throw open my window and announce to the world to stop what they are doing and read this book right away! Granted the Pura Belpré Award in 2010, The Dreamer tells the tale of young Neftalí Reyes who perseveres through a difficult childhood and finds his love for words, eventually transforming into Pablo Neruda. Magic realism infused throughout the story allows us glimpses into the brilliance of this famous poet, and Peter Sis's fantastical drawings take us even deeper into his thoughts and experiences. In the classroom, I would use this book to teach magic realism, biography, and poetry. Grades 4 and up.
    • 4/5
      I enjoyed reading it, but I think some of the themes and beauty of the language might go over the heads of some younger readers. I do think the poetic aspect would be a great way to help students cross over between novels and poetry, though.
    • 4/5
      This is called a "fictionalized biography" of the poet Pablo Neruda, and the style will be familiar to those who have read a lot of the recent excellent picturebook biographies, many of those also illustrated by Sis. It seems to me that it would fit perhaps young middle graders, since the style is simple, but the relationships are dark and complex and often frightening. This would be the best match for a young poet because one of the strengths of the book is the sense of wonder and discovery about the world, and how this is translated into words.Winner of the 2011 Pura Belpre Award from the ALA for "a Latino/Latina writer and illustrator whose work best portrays, affirms, and celebrates the Latino cultural experience in an outstanding work of literature for children and youth."
    • 5/5
      Pam munoz does a fabolous job to take the reader onto the Life Of Neftali Reyes now known as Pablo Neruda one of the greatest poets of the 20th century. The winner of the Nobel prize. What I like the most of this book is that it reflects how some many of our children are and sometimes that do not cultivate their againts because they are afraid or they might believe what adults with tell him. In Neftali's case he did not believe the things that his mean father will say to him. He will keep dreaming . He always found beauty and wonder in everything colors smells textures. This to me is magic to be Elbe to be connected with the wonderful things tht sourounds us and transmit that to words. That is what Neftali did . He as a great example for all of us to keep dreaming and the bigger the dream the better.
    • 2/5
      Slow, especially for a children's book, not particularly captivating, don't see the child appeal at all, but a nice story with nice illustrations.
    • 5/5
      In this novel Neftali hears the call of a mysterious voice. Even when the neighborhood children taunt him, and when his harsh, authoritarian father ridicules him, and when he doubts himself. He knows he cannot ignore the call.
    • 3/5
      It took me two false starts to finally get into this book. It's dressed up as a sort of children's story, but it needs to be about half as many words and twice as many illustrations, in my mind. The book is a sort of retelling of Pablo Neruda's childhood and adolescence, using some anecdotes from Neruda's own letters and interviews, with some fiction thrown in. But it takes way too long to get where it's going. There were some beautiful snippets of Neruda's poetry scattered here and there but the book didn't feel like it held together very well. I think only die-hard fans of Neruda's poetry will appreciate it and everyone one else will be bored.
    • 5/5
      I'm a bit over the top about this book. I loved it. Neftali the sickly young boy who loves nature and words feels the disapproval of his over-bearing railroad-worker father. This is a fictionalized story of the childhood of the Chilean poet Pablo Neruda. The physical book is so lovely from the beautiful cover and the intersticial illustrations by the wonderful Peter Sis, to the green ink, to the size itself. A treasure.