You Need To Read This Colorful Spanish Novel for Tweens!
Looking for a great Spanish novel for older kids? This beautifully illustrated novel is perfect! It’s mix of illustrations, poetry and chapters make it easy to read and it’s basis in history makes it relevant to Spanish language and culture.
If you are a proficient enough reader in Spanish then this book will be perfect for you to read aloud to your older child.
If your child is in high school, then this could be a great starter novel for them to read in Spanish on their own!
In this article I’ll introduce “El Soñador”, written by Pam Muñoz Ryan and illustrated by Peter Sis. I’ll go through the unique way that the novel is written, it’s basis as historical fiction and what I like about it!
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“El Soñador” by Pam Muñoz Ryan
This is the version that we have. It’s the Spanish language paperback edition by Scholastic.
“El Soñador” by Pam Muñoz Ryan is a perfect book for children who are able to read chapter books in Spanish on their own.
I read this beautifully written tale to my daughter when she was an infant and I was practicing reading aloud and pronunciation. I have read it again for myself several times and have enjoyed it each and every time.
The novel is 353 pages long and broken into labelled sections. While the story is over 300 pages long, it’s readability is easy due to it’s layout.
The text on each page is a bit larger than traditional chapter books and each lines has extra spacing, making it easy to read. The story is also told partially through illustrations and poems which break up the text and add to the readability.
Here’s what I love about it
Historical Fiction
When I first read, “El Soñador”, I didn’t realize that the story was based on the early life of Pablo Neruda. The main character is a young, shy boy named Neftali, who is often sick and dreams of words when he has to rest in bed.
The book highlights many of Neftali’s early struggles like his debilitating shyness and his often-strained relationship with his father. It also highlights the joy and beauty that Neftali finds in many of his day to day adventures walking around his Chilean neighborhood or visiting his father on the railroad.
It wasn’t until the end of the book when Neftali decides to change his name to Pablo Neruda that I realized that this aspiring poet would grow up to be one of Chile’s most famous writers!
While this is a work of fiction, “El Soñador” follows the biographical features of the childhood of Pablo Neruda based on the research of Pam Muñoz Ryan and from autobiographical elements found in his peotry.
It’s a wonderful introduction to Chilean culture and the life and work of Pablo Neruda and includes many snippets and phrases from his poetry.
Recommended For You: Spanish Chapter Books For Kids
The Layout
The actually formatting of this chapter book is a little different than traditional chapter books for older children. For example, the sentences have larger spaces between them such that there are only around 15 sentences per page.
Also, several of the pages include stylized words that are different fonts, sizes or are written diagonally so as to exemplify the lyrical aspect of Neruda’s poetry.
This chapter book also includes several illustrations, some full-page drawings and others that are smaller and embedded into pages. The images often illustrate the magic realistic illusions that Neruda makes or his imaginings.
The visual layout of each page makes the book and enjoyable read and perhaps a slightly easier read for children who are just getting into chapter books.
Recommended For You: Children’s Graphic Novels in Spanish
If you’re looking for a great Spanish chapter book to start reading to your child, this is the perfect start. It’s beautiful layout and tie to Hispanic culture make it a good choice for Spanish learners!
Happy Learning!
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