Johannes is not your average dog. In his own words, he’s a dog who ascertains things. Indeed, he deduces and infers. According to his own estimates too, he can run at the speed of light. All this is why he holds a place of special importance in the park where he lives; he’s ‘the Eyes’ watching what goes on, appointed by its oldest residents, three Bison who are the Keepers of the Equilibrium.
A close and unpleasant encounter with some of the park’s least appealing human visitors requires that he be rescued by his Assistant Eyes – Bertrand the seagull, squirrel Sonja, and Yolanda the Pelican – while an encounter with art in the park’s new gallery opens his eyes fully to the important things in life. He decides that he’s going to break the Bison out of their enclosure and give them freedom. In the process he learns all sorts of things about the park and indeed about himself.
This is such a joyful, original and inspiring story, unlike anything you will have read before, and you will want to press this book into the hands of other readers. Johannes is an extraordinary creation, his self-belief, his world view, his determination to better his friends’ lives, his fascination with art, his total contempt for ducks (fully deserved it turns out), all make him charming and completely believable. There are wonderful illustrations throughout too, reproductions of masterpieces by artists including Gustave Courbet, André Giroux and Jacob van Ruisdael, with Johannes added, generally running at the speed of light.
Winner of the Newbery Medal | A New York Times bestseller
Johannes is a free dog, a fast dog - such a fast dog! He lives in an urban park by the sea, and every day, he runs through the park, seeing all, missing nothing, and reporting what he sees to the park's three ancient Bison, the Keepers of the Equilibrium. But the Equilibrium has been disrupted. Mysterious rectangles are hypnotising Johannes, the humans are erecting a strange new building, and an entirely new kind of animal has arrived in the park. Johannes must run faster, see better, and ultimately do more than run and see - he must liberate those he loves.
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.
‘We need brave, big stories like these’ - New York Times Book Review
'Utterly delightful’ - Booklist, starred review
Author
About Dave Eggers
Dave Eggers is the author of numerous books. Those for adults include What Is the What, Zeitoun and A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, among others. His books for young readers include Her Right Foot and What Can a Citizen Do?, both illustrated by Shawn Harris; Abner and Ian Get Right-Side Up, illustrated by Laura Park; Tomorrow Most Likely, illustrated by Lane Smith; and the middle-grade novel The Lifters, among others. He is the founder of 826 National, a network of youth writing and tutoring centres around the United States, as well as numerous other foundations and organizations centered on education, human rights, and arts and activism. Dave Eggers lives in Northern California, USA. Júlia Sardà is a Spanish artist and the author-illustrator of The Queen in the Cave, as well as the illustrator of Mary Who Wrote Frankenstein by Linda Bailey, The Liszts by Kyo Maclear, The Wolf's Secret by Nicolas Digard and Myriam Dahman, and a number of classics, including Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and The Wizard of Oz. Júlia Sardà lives in Barcelona. Find her on Instagram as @juliasardaportabella.
