The Dreamer by Pam Munoz Ryan & Peter Sis

The Dreamer

by Pam Munoz Ryan & Peter Sis

Image Credit: The Dreamer at https://www.pammunozryan.com

1. Bibliography

Ryan, Pam Munoz. Drawings by Peter Sis. The Dreamer. New York: Scholastic Press, 2011. ISBN 9780521839181

2. Plot Summary

From the time he is a young boy, Neftalí hears the call of a mysterious voice. Even when the neighborhood children taunt him, his authoritarian father ridicules him, and he doubts himself, Neftalí knows he cannot ignore the call. Under the canopy of the rainforest, and into the fearsome sea, and through the persistent Chilean rain, he listens and he follows. This story combines elements of magical realism with biography, poetry, literary fiction, and sensorial illustrations by Caldecott Honor recipient and MacArthur Fellow, Peter Sís. (Summary Credit: The Dreamer at https://www.pammunozryan.com)

3. Critical Analysis

The main character in The Dreamer is a young boy named Naftali.  Naftali is based on the real-life Nobel Prize-winning Chilean poet Pablo Neruda.  Naftali’s father, Jose Reyes constantly ridicules him.  He believes that Naftali is wasting his time by daydreaming and writing because he thinks Naftali should go into business or medicine and should spend all his time studying. Another character is his Uncle Orlando who is a journalist for whom Naftali would like to work. The story revolves around Naftali’s struggle to become the future writer/poet he becomes and gaining his father’s acceptance. The setting of the story is the early 1900s in Temuco, Chile. Peter Sis’s dreamlike simple drawing add to the illusory quality of Naftali’s life and the future imagery of his poems.

While cultural markers are subtler in this story, they still exist is more restrained ways. The author uses some Spanish words in the text such as guitarrista (guitar), el pan amasado (homemade bread) and Buena serta (good luck).  She uses the literal translation method for most with some contextual translation.  You can also see the culture in the family dynamics where the father is the patriarch and children are expected to obey.  The author uses place names from Neruda’s life as the setting of the story such as the Andes Mountains, Mount Llaima, River Cautin, Labranza, Boroa, and Ranquilco.  The characters names reflect this area of Chile and include Rodolfo, Jose Reyes, Orlando, Laurita, Mamadre, Valeria, Guillermo, Enrique, and Blanca.

4. Review Experts

~The Pura Belpre Medal

~ALA Notable Children’s Book – Older Readers

~Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor

~Horn Book Fanfare Book of 2010

~Kirkus Best Children Books of 2010

~Smithsonian Notable Book

~Booklist Editor’s Choice 2010

~From Publishers Weekly: Ryan's (Paint the Wind) wandering and imaginative prose and Sís's (The Wall) quietly haunting art fuse in this fictionalized account of Pablo Neruda's upbringing in the small town of Temuco, Chile. Precocious, terribly shy, and insightful, Neruda (known then by his birth name, Neftalí Reyes) is curious about all facets of life, particularly the wonders of nature. Printed in green ink (as is the text), Sís's stippled illustrations provide surreal visual teasers for each chapter. Larger images pair with poetic questions (“Is fire born of words? Or are words born of fire?”) that echo Neruda's The Book of Questions. Stressing “the importance of following dreams and staying determined,” the book is an immaculately crafted and inspiring piece of magical realism.

5. Connections

~Read other books by Pam Munoz such as:

            Becoming Naomi Leon. ISBN 9780439269971

            Esperanza Rising. ISBN 9780439120425

            Paint the Wind. ISBN 054510176X

            Riding Freedom. ISBN 9780590957663

~Read other books about Chile such as:

            Shields, Charles. Chile. ISBN 1422206343

            Dipiazza, Francesca Davis. Chile in Pictures. ISBN 0822565870

            Castillo-Feliu, Guillermo. Culture and Customs of Chile. ISBN 0313307830

            Pitcher, Caroline. Illustrated by Jackie Morris. Mariana and the Merchild: A Folktale from Chile. ISBN 9780802852045

~Geography – Look up information about the country of Chile—its geography, climate,

political history, and indigenous people, especially the Mapuche. Find out what is unique

about the part of the country near the city of Temuco, where most of this story takes place.