Ryan's fictional evocation of the boy who would become Pablo Neruda is rich, resonant and enchanting. Simple adventures reveal young Neftali'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 Sis'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, Neftali'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)

Awards and Praise for The Dreamer:

Pura Belpré Award winner

Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor

Booklist Editors' Choice

NYPL 100 Best Children's Book

ALA Notable Children's Book

IRA Notable Children's Books for a Global Society

Kirkus Best Children's Book

Pen Center USA Literary Award for Children's and Young Adult Literature

*"An immaculately crafter and inspiring piece of text and art." —Publishers Weekly, starred review

*". . . rich, resonant and enchanting." —Kirkus, starred review

*"The perfect marriages of text and art." —School Library Journal, starred review

*" This book has all the feel of a classic, elegant and measured, but deeply rewarding and eminently readable." —Booklist, starred review

*"[A] masterful tribute."-Horn Book, starred review

"Ryan's hypnotic text, inspired by the childhood of Pablo Neruda, is brought to life by the extraordinary art of Peter Sis."-New York Times Book Review

"A phantasmagorical rumination on the childhood of the great Chilean poet Pablo Neruda is rooted in a belief that words possess the power to mend the spirit and change the world."—Smithsonian Notable List

THE DREAMER would be an outstanding story in itself, but the fact that it is a fictionalized profile of Chilean poet Pablo Neruda lifts it to even greater heights. Neruda was born Neftali Reyes, a sickly dreamer who continually crossed his domineering father. He changed his name because his father was ashamed he was a poet. Narrator Tony Chiroldes is grand. He clearly differentiates Neftali and his older brother, nasty father, dear little sister, and loving stepmother. The book is poetically written, and Chiroldes’s spirited, sympathetic reading makes listening to it even more pleasurable than merely reading it. In closing, Ryan shares how she came to write this unique biography about a poet whose work she’s loved for a lifetime. S.G.B. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine