I love Eggers and I liked this book a lot. I can't say that I often read middle grade fiction so I don't know how it stands amongst its peers but I enjoyed it well enough.

I loved this book. The characters were so well-developed and the world Eggers built is consistently both real and surreal in all the best ways. There were moments of laugh-out-loud joy along with the bittersweet ones. Highly recommended to middle-grade readers through adults!

The best part of this book was the illustrations. As the Eyes, Johannes seems to have a great love for his island home and his friends. Why does he leave? Just didn't get it.

What a wonderful read! The flow of the text might be harder for kids who aren't used to non-linear stories, but I think it will be rewarding for those kids who do read it. Recommended for all collections serving youth.

Fans of animal stories, and especially dog lovers, The Eyes and the Impossible is a book that will stick with you well after reading. I read it in nearly one sitting, loving the incredible voice in this book, the beautiful setting, the laugh-out-loud and gasp-out-loud moments.

What a fun, beautiful and satisfying read. I know we already expect this from DE. The book covers an expanding park from the perspective of the woodland creatures. I find their take on the humans that tromp through the park delightful. As a runner that is usually solo, I can share in many of their same joys and sorrows viewing the park people.
Fun and lightly dramatic enjoyable read.

Johannes, a free dog, lives in an urban park by the sea where it’s his job to be the Eyes for the park’s three elders, the Bison. His friends - a seagull, a raccoon, a squirrel, and a pelican - are Assistant Eyes, observing the comings and goings of the park who report their findings to Johannes, who then gives their, along with his own observations, to the Bison.

But changes are happening at the park - a new building means more humans, and more humans means more Trouble Travelers. And then there were the new animals called goats that literally appeared as a boatload. Upon their arrival, new, shocking revelations change Johannes' whole world.

After I read Pax by Sara Pennypacker, I’ve kind of been on the hunt for another middle grade, animal book. I know there’s all kinds of these out there, but this one… it’s the way that Johannes’ voice is written I believe, that just gives me a warm, good feeling in my chest.

It was fun to hear Johannes and his friends explain things from the humans - sometimes they’re way off and it would give me a good giggle (like their viewpoint on time is way off, everything is 1,000 years and it’s just adorable).

This is going to be a book I can see myself recommending to anyone who just wants a chill, feel good book with animals. I’ve already talked about it pretty much nonstop since I got to work this morning. I know animal books are hard, and can be weird, but this one is cute and adorable.

*Thank you Knopf Books for Young Readers and NetGalley for an advance digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Eyes and the Impossible follows Johannes, a free dog who functions as The Eyes in a park. It’s his job to patrol the grounds and report any and all activities to The Elders, bison who are, by his estimate, “hundreds of thousands of years old.” The park, however, is changing rapidly, with new humans, a museum, goats, and a sudden and shocking revelation that changes Johannes’ perspective on his world.

I adore middle grade animal stories, and this one did not disappoint. The plot is fascinating and the language is beautiful. It is, however, a bit complicated—at some points, it verges on stream-of-consciousness that almost feels like the younger, more interesting cousin of James Joyce’s Ulysses. I think the difficulty of the language might turn off some younger, not-so-strong readers who are in the target audience, and older readers on the higher end of the middle grade range might deem the book too juvenile because of its subject matter. I think this book is confused about who is audience actually is, but I still fully enjoyed it.

Big fan of Dave Eggers--I think his books for adults are terrific and I found this held true for this new children's book also.
The plot centers around Johannes, a dog whose job is to observe all aspects of his environment and then, relate those happenings back to the respected animal elders of the park, thus, nicknamed The Eyes. It is told from the animals' perspective which is certain to appeal to young readers. The readers who enjoy stories about friendship laced with challenges will delight in these pages. So many themes permeate the book with loyalty reigning supreme.
The characters are so sensitively and deftly portrayed. Readers are sure to delight in the meanderings of his animal pals. When the human counterparts cause a shift in the balance of their habitats, readers will not be able to put the book down. There is much to mull over and consider when it ends and the story will linger.

I have enjoyed Eggers as an adult fiction writer for some time so I was excited to experience his work as writer of fiction for younger readers. I enjoyed the point-of-view being from an animal perspective, but the writing was a bit jarring at times. For a younger reader I feel this book might be a bit challenging because the flow of the narrative is not always linear. That being said writing from the point-of-view of a dog it felt pretty spot-on. Overall it was a heart-warming journey that I enjoyed overall.

This story about a wild dog living in a busy urban park has a unique voice as the reader follows along with the main character and his daily adventures with a variety of creatures also living in the park. They have their own order and organization in how they work together appreciating each others’ talents. The passage of time was very confusing for me. While trying to decide if my animal story-loving students would enjoy this title, I think they might be challenged and a bit confused by it. I do think it could work well as a read aloud so that the beautiful vocabulary can be discussed if needed. The action of the story heads in a certain direction, then another confusingly, then yet another by the end. New friendships are formed. Old friendships are tested. This story gives the reader a lot to think about.

This book is about Johannes, a free dog, lives in an urban park by the sea. He is the eyes for the animals in the park. He has many hardships and obstacles along the way. He also has many plans throughout the book. One of which is to try to free the bison that live in the park with him.

I like how this was told from his perspective, but I also found it was hard to follow and read. I wanted to like this book more, but it just wasn't for me. I also found this a bit slow and hard to understand at times. I think that others will find this a good book, it just wasn't for me.