Johannes takes his job as the “eyes” of the seaside park where he’s lived in the wild since he was a puppy very seriously. His best friend, seagull Bernard; Sonja, a squirrel; Angus, a raccoon; and Yolanda, a pelican, all assist him. Johannes reports nightly to the three bison who live in a fenced off area and maintain the park’s “equilibrium.” One day while mesmerized by paintings at an art show in the park, Johannes is snatched by a group of humans. Johannes’s friends thwart the effort to dognap him, but Johannes comes away from the experience with a new appreciation for freedom and realizes the bison deserve to be free, too. Johannes’s friends are willing to help plan and execute a mission to release them, but they want to help Johannes, too: A museum is opening in the park, and they’re determined to get Johannes safely inside to view the art, since he clearly finds it fascinating. There’s more than one “impossible”—and a whole herd of goats—in this funny, philosophical, tender, action-packed story. Heroic and hilarious, it illuminates acts of compassion and friendship, and more than one revelation that has Johannes expanding his understanding of himself, his friends, and the world. As a narrator, Johannes is enthusiastic, earnest, endearing, and droll in a wonderful choice for reading aloud or reading alone. (Ages 8-11)

NEWBERY MEDAL WINNER • #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • An enthralling middle-grade novel by award-winning author Dave Eggers, told from the perspective of one uniquely endearing dog— featuring beautiful color artwork with illustrations by Caldecott honoree Shawn Harris.
 
“Johannes is a highly engaging narrator whose exuberance and good nature run like a bright thread through the novel’s pages.” —The New York Times

Johannes, a free dog, lives in an urban park by the sea. His job is to be the Eyes—to see everything that happens within the park and report back to the park’s elders, three ancient Bison. His friends—a seagull, a raccoon, a squirrel, and a pelican—work with him as the Assistant Eyes, observing the humans and other animals who share the park and making sure the Equilibrium is in balance. 

But changes are afoot. More humans, including Trouble Travelers, arrive in the park. A new building, containing mysterious and hypnotic rectangles, goes up. And then there are the goats—an actual boatload of goats—who appear, along with a shocking revelation that changes Johannes’s view of the world.

A story about friendship, beauty, liberation, and running very, very fast, The Eyes & the Impossible will make readers of all ages see the world around them in a wholly new way.