The Dreamer: List 3

by Pam Muñoz Ryan
Inspired by the childhood of Chilean poet Pablo Neruda, this novel explores moments in the life of a young dreamer named Neftalí.

This list covers Forest–Pinecone.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: List 1, List 2, List 3, List 4, List 5, List 6
35 words 34 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. girth
    the distance around something, especially a person's body
    “Forty-three, forty-four, forty-five...” His bed marked where he had begun, but no matter how many steps he took, he could not get around the girth of the trunk to reach it again.
  2. gargantuan
    of great mass; huge and bulky
    Finally, Neftalí decided to climb the gargantuan tree, hoping to find a way over it, instead of around it.
  3. billow
    rise and move, as in waves
    “Ah, yes. It is new. The company gave it to me, for my service. The finest wool. When you are ready, meet me on the platform.” He turned and marched from the room, the cape billowing behind him.
  4. clamber
    climb awkwardly, as if by scrambling
    After several hours, the engine stopped. The sturdy men clambered from the train. Neftalí followed Father, stepping down into a world of conifers.
  5. conifer
    a type of tree or shrub bearing cones
    After several hours, the engine stopped. The sturdy men clambered from the train. Neftalí followed Father, stepping down into a world of conifers.
  6. giddy
    having or causing a whirling sensation; liable to falling
    His senses whirled and he felt giddy.
  7. quarry
    extract from or as if from an excavation
    Father stood next to him, blowing his whistle and giving orders to the men, who set to work quarrying stone rubble.
  8. reverent
    feeling or showing profound respect or veneration
    Neftalí was grateful to explore alone. Reverently, he crept into the forest, but not too far.
  9. frond
    compound leaf of a fern or palm or cycad
    He stopped every few steps, examining the novelties: the bellies of gigantic fronds, the luminescent wings of insects, bird feathers, and pods that had dropped from the canopy.
  10. luminescent
    emitting light not caused by heat
    He stopped every few steps, examining the novelties: the bellies of gigantic fronds, the luminescent wings of insects, bird feathers, and pods that had dropped from the canopy.
  11. swath
    a path or strip (also figurative)
    With a stick, he cleared a swath of damp earth and wrote on it.
  12. loom
    hang over, as of something threatening, dark, or menacing
    Neftalí jumped at the voice. He looked up to see Father looming over him. Had he blown his whistle and Neftalí had not heard?
  13. contort
    twist and press out of shape
    As he marveled at the beetle, the shell contorted and bulged, growing bigger and bigger.
  14. beady
    small, round, and shiny
    Neftalí looked on with fascination.
    Two giant beady eyes looked back.
  15. defer
    yield to another's wish or opinion
    The rhinoceros beetle moved closer. When it was inches from Neftalí, it folded its front legs, and lowered its hideous head, as if it were deferring to him. Then it made a tiny squeak.
  16. bravado
    a swaggering show of courage
    What lies beneath the bravado
    of a black and shiny armor?
  17. banter
    converse in a playful or teasing way
    At lunch, Neftalí sat next to Father. He listened to the workers banter back and forth with good-natured teasing.
  18. scour
    examine minutely
    He scoured the ground around the tree and found a scattering of pinecones closed as tight as fists.
  19. bulbous
    rounded and bulging
    He searched and found one that had opened, large and bulbous, and was dotted with pearls of sap.
  20. iridescent
    varying in color when seen in different lights
    He carefully spun it on his palm. The scales resembled a carousel of iridescent wings.
  21. appraise
    estimate the nature, quality, ability or significance of
    An eagle sat on a limb high above his head, looking down on him.
    Neftalí was afraid to move, afraid to startle it. He watched it turn its head as if appraising the forest, preen its chest, and shake out its feathers.
  22. preen
    clean with one's bill
    An eagle sat on a limb high above his head, looking down on him.
    Neftalí was afraid to move, afraid to startle it. He watched it turn its head as if appraising the forest, preen its chest, and shake out its feathers.
  23. flit
    move along rapidly and lightly; skim or dart
    As he turned, he saw the chucao bird flitting from a fallen log to a low branch to the duff on the forest floor.
  24. tousle
    disarrange or rumple; dishevel
    He reached up and tousled his hair. Dust and duff rained over him.
  25. brittle
    having little elasticity
    “You are nothing more than a brittle twig,” he barked. “And this obsession with books will not make you vigorous! Have we not talked about this time and again? Do you want to be a scatterbrain for the rest of your life?”
  26. squander
    spend thoughtlessly; throw away
    “You need to be outside instead of squandering good weather. Now run and play with the other boys. And none of your diversions. Join the games and let them make a man of you.”
  27. meander
    move or cause to move in a winding or curving course
    He put his hands in his pockets and meandered down the road toward the boys who were playing fútbol.
  28. remnant
    a small part remaining after the main part no longer exists
    To calm himself, he inspected the remnants of a recent storm.
  29. loiter
    linger, remain, or wait around for no apparent reason
    He loitered over the oily colors of street puddles, rust-colored and green, like Blanca’s hair and eyes.
  30. burly
    muscular and heavily built
    The burly athlete had been at their school only a few weeks, and he’d already been in a number of fights.
  31. bramble
    any of various rough thorny shrubs or vines
    Then he turned and walked to the corner of the yard. Where was the opening? He cleared away the brambles until he found the spot, now jammed with leaves and mud.
  32. matted
    tangled in a dense mass
    The hand reappeared and nudged a toy sheep through the gap. Neftalí picked it up. The wheels on which the sheep had once rolled were gone. The wool was matted and yellowed.
  33. sprawling
    spreading out in different directions
    Clutching the sheep, he hurried to the front yard and hid beneath a sprawling bush, watching the house next door.
  34. pelt
    cast, hurl, or throw repeatedly with some missile
    As the seasons changed, the sheep became Neftalí’s devoted companion. In the fall, he buried his head in its wool to protect himself from the boys at school, who chased him and pelted him with acorns.
  35. overzealous
    marked by excessive enthusiasm for a cause or idea
    Neftalí was excited, too, but something about Father’s overzealous enthusiasm pried a tiny splinter of doubt from his mind.
Created on Thu Jul 08 22:00:33 EDT 2021 (updated Wed Jul 14 15:52:38 EDT 2021)

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