"I am poetry, surrounding the dreamer"

If you like to dream and wonder and ponder, I imagine you would enjoy The Dreamer by Pam Muñoz Ryan.  This is a fictionalized account of the childhood of Neftali, the boy who became Pablo Neruda, a popular poet who lived in Chile.  As a child, Neftali loves words and books,  and he treasures his collections of objects from nature, such as twigs and shells. Unfortunately, his domineering father makes his life miserable, but Uncle Orlando, a newspaper writer who recognizes the boy's sensitivity and writing talents, sympathizes and takes Neftali under his wing.  The lyrical expression of Neftali's emotions - the utter joy at finding the perfect place to read, the haunting sadness of his father's disrespect - are accompanied by the beautiful illustrations of Peter Sís.  A book to read slowly and savor.

Next time I see a firefly...

...I bet I think of this book. The Firefly Letters: A Suffragette's Journey to Cuba by Margarita Engle is as interesting as it is lyrical. Based in Cuba in the 1800s, the story is told in free verse in first person, alternating between Fredrika Bremer, a Swedish feminist visiting Cuba; Cecilia, a slave who misses her home in Africa and serves as Fredrika's translator; Elena, the slave-owner's daughter who lives in a "private world of silk and lace" but has surprisingly little freedom over her own life; and Beni, Cecilia's husband. A metaphor that is invoked repeatedly is that of cocuyos - fireflies. The natives catch them and put them into bottles to make lamps or weave them into their hair, while Fredrika and Cecilia buy the fireflies and set them free. I'd love to share this with a book club, taking turns to read aloud each very brief chapter, and talking about the freedoms and limitations of all the characters.