“Once there was a little boy named Neftali, who loved wild things wildly and quiet things quietly.” Neftali grew up to become the poet Pablo Neruda. In this picture book account of Neruda’s life and work, Monica Brown describe this “poet of the people’s” love of small things and big ideas, of people and places in a lyrical narrative featuring scenes from Neruda’s life and poems. Brown also shows how Neruda’s gift as a poet was matched by his courage in refusing to be silenced when he spoke out against the government and for peace and justice in his native land of Chile, ideas that, like his poems, were embraced by people around the world. Julie Paschkis brings a colorful palette and bold vision to illustrations that incorporate Spanish words into the lush images. (Ages 5–10)