The Dreamer

Fast shipping, My daughters summer reading for the upcoming school year. Great read.

Lovely, well-and-artfully-written, if sometimes anguishing to read, memorable tale of young Pablo Neruda -- in the chrysalis stage. So worth a few hours and the layout, spare and wondrous artwork by Peter Sis added to create a thoughtful treasure, spun in a poetic prose form.Let me say that I am a "biased-by-pleasure-and-admiration" fan of Pam Munoz Ryan and of Pablo Neruda, so that is the basis from which I come; I like/love much that these two people have contributed to the writing/reading world, each in her/his own way.I find Pam Munoz Ryan to be an author of deep worth, with a special, artfully-delivered and thoughtful voice, so good for our children -- when her writings are chosen with care for age and maturity, as her subjects she tackles are not uniformly "easy".I can imagine reading The Dreamer -- and sharing many reflective moments -- with a child of at least 11 (I would say, no younger). Also, I can conceive of a teacher of deep sensitivity and caring carving out the time to share it with her/his class, thoughtfully, over some days, with plenty of time for discussion, contemplation and, perhaps making it a part of a history-English block, as well.No easy story, in the painful aspects of much of Neftali's/Pablo's young life, but so worthwhile; should spark further reading of Neruda (by older young people and adults), some exploration into Chile, human rights considerations...If offered appropriately, age and maturity-wise, I think this would speak so well to the artistic, tender hearts of young people who love to read, to write and create; who perhaps are trying to find their ways in relating to Life, adults, insecurities, shyness, being understood and in treasuring and protecting -- and, finding "safe" ways to share -- their personal uniqueness and gifts.I would offer again, however, that I'm not certain that this is a book to be shared with very tender-hearted children until parents/teachers feel they are able to handle the pages and pages of beauty "imprisoned" especially in the hardness, unkindness, fear-driven and apparently unfeeling aspects of the father. There is certainly opportunity to discuss what a "healthy" family environment might look like, how people (such as the loving stepmother, the talented older brother, the younger sister, the uncle) "make do", try to survive, or show courage and resolve in dealing with (or not) fear-inducing dysfunctional family relationships.In The Dreamer, there is redemption; there are many opportunities for personal reflection and for hearing Neftali's/Pablo's singing heart-within-the-pain; I found there to be beauty on every page.

:)

My 4th grader was assigned The Dreamer for a school project. He enjoyed it.

The Dreamer, by Pam Munoz Ryan, is a mandate for allowing each and every child to grow into the person he or she is meant to be. Magical words on every page, and dancing digits on young Pablo’s difficult math homework, lead us inside a story that truly touched my heart.This beautifully written story about the Chilean poet, Pablo Neruda, with its charming illustrations by Peter Sis and poignant examples of Neruda’s own poetry, make this an upper middle grades book that I revisit often. “How does Munoz accomplish such mastery?” I asked myself. As a new writer, I was determined to learn from her writing.The more I reread the first chapter, the more mesmerized I became. I had never read such musical prose. Every important word landed squarely on the beat, and each paragraph seemed to have its own time signature. When the story developed into a frenzy, it seemed as if the pace gradually accelerated until it spun off-kilter, much like the young poet’s life.However it was that Ms. Ryan wove those words together, she captured the angst of young Pablo’s life, as well as the timid joy he derived from his budding artistry. I ached for the childhood he had, and the childhood he didn’t have. Readers will grow in their compassion, in their artistry, and also in their awareness of social injustices.A note of caution regarding the younger reader – This story presents many opportunities for thoughtful discussion. Parents and teachers should offer guidance through some of the more difficult scenes that show a parent whose actions are often cruel. It is not a story to be quickly read and cast aside.I recently had an opportunity to hear Ms. Ryan speak at a local college. As she introduced herself, and spoke of her experience with music during her middle school years, I thought, “Aha! She IS a musician!” But her own story revealed merely a couple of short-lived attempts in that arena: one positive experience that failed after her instrument became damaged, and another musical experience that actually led her to her love of writing.When given an opportunity to ask a question, I asked her, “Did you intentionally write each of your paragraphs in a specific time signature?” She smiled, and simply said, “No. I just read it aloud, and read it often, until the words sounded right.”Whatever limited musical experiences Ms. Ryan had in her own childhood, she learned the joys of both music and prose well enough to inspire us in The Dreamer.

My ten year old just finished The Dreamer. Every day when I came home from work, my son couldn't wait to tell me what happened to Neftali (the protagonist) that day. This books is full of imaginative language about an imaginative boy who struggles with a speech impediment and a domineering father. Neftali's journey is one of self discovery and finding the power of language. My son was enraptured with Neftali's evolution from a timid bullied boy to one of the most powerful voices in his country!! Since finishing this book, we have been reading some of the poems of Pablo Neruda, arguably one of the world's greatest and most influential poets, and the man that Neftali became!My son tends to read mostly adventure and science fiction. I bought this book because it is on the list for Battle of the Books. It is a book I would not have picked for him myself. This was a good reminder to me to not be too narrow minded.

As a parent, I read a lot of children's literature. "The Dreamer" has been by far one of my favorites. Pam Munoz Ryan has an exquisite writing style that I am in love with. The progression of the story feels very natural, very real and there is a softness and beauty that exists amidst the often unsteady state of the surrounding background world. My 3rd grade son and I were able to capture a wonderful depth throughout the story through the subtle dialogue and interactions of the characters while revolving around themes like Human Rights, equality, justice, sorrow, hope, courage, empowerment and love.

I thought the story, the style and the art of this book was mind-blowing. Have passed on to my grand-daughter with the hope she might read/share with her Year6 class. Has to be a modern classic for schools.

The story revolves around Neftali, a dreamer who is quite different from others. Neftali spends most of his time alone collecting treasures , reading, day dreaming and listening to the rain . But Neftali's father thinks these all are useless . time pass . Neftali finds beauty and wonder everywhere: in the oily puddles , sailing on the wind , the music of words and language . While his father plans to build him into​ a doctor, Neftali has other dreams. Combining elements of magic, with poetry and literary fiction Pam Munoz Ryan & Peter Sis makes a wonderful story.ÇHETNA VERMAMIND TREE SCHOOL , PANJOKHRA

イラストと文字の配列が狂わないようにすべてのページが画像として処理されています。だから、文字の大きさやフォントを変えられないし、ハイライトや辞書、検索といった機能も使えません。おまけに文字が緑色で印刷されているため、モノクロのキンドル・ペーパーホワイトで読むと文字が薄くなって老眼の私にはまったく読めませんでした。仕方がないので、ネクサスのキンドル・アプリで読みました。ピンチして画面を大きくできるのはいいんですが、画像だから文字が次の行に送られずディスプレイからはみ出てしまうので、ディスプレイを横位置に固定して、１ページを縦３分割で読むという、実にめんどくさい経験でした。こういう本はキンドル版にするべきじゃないと思う。どうしてもするなら、目立つ位置に注意書きをつけるべき。

Product in good condition. Great!

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