The 2011 Pura Belpré Award for Narrative was presented to Pam Muñoz Ryan for her work in The Dreamer. The Dreamer tells the story of Nobel Prize winner Pablo Neruda, who overcame a traumatic childhood to become one of Chile’s most renowned citizens. The Dreamer depicts Neruda’s , who's real name is Neftali Reyes, life through the use of pieces of poetry and prose. This structure aids the book in discussing topics such as abuse, love, and childhood imagination. The Dreamer earned the Pura Belpré Award because of the use of both prose and poetry within this text. The poems within The Dreamer represent Neftali’s imagination. By utilizing onomatopoeia and complex imagery, Pam Muñoz Ryan demonstrates how poetry was a method of escape for Neftali.
