Pablo Neruda grew up in the shadow of a volcano, in the town of Temuco on Chile's southern frontier. The shy boy found himself most at home in the rain forests and among the native people of his country. He knew he wanted to express something extraordinary, and he secretly wrote down his thoughts. With the encouragement of a gifted poet, at age sixteen he began to distinguish himself as the "people's poet, " the most celebrated writer in Latin America.

Deborah Kogan Ray blends her telling of Neruda's childhood with excerpts from his own poetry and prose, adding weight to his powerful words with rich illustrations.