Unfortunately I was unable to download this book before the archive date, so I'm not able to leave a review. I look forward to reading and reviewing books by this author in the future.

In a Nutshell: A middle-grade novel coming from the perspective of a dog. Great original narrative voice, awesome characters, good plot, lovely illustrations.

Plot Preview:
Johannes, proud of being a free dog rather than a “kept dog”, lives in a park filled with animals and visiting humans. He knows that he's superior to the humans but still likes them, though they have done nothing to deserve it. He also knows that he is the fastest runner, the most intelligent, and the best at his job as “the Eyes” of the park. As you can see, Johannes is quite humble. *wink, wink.*
As “the Eyes”, Johannes has to report any untoward incident to the park’s respected elders, three ancient bison. Along with his assistant Eyes – a raccoon, a pelican, a seagull, and a squirrel, Johannes ensures that the equilibrium of the park is kept in balance. But soon, there are a few too many changes in the park, and the equilibrium seems shaky. Even more shattering, Johannes learns that all that he knew of the world was doubtful.
The story comes to us in the first-person perspective of Johannes.

Bookish Yays:
🐶 The introductory note that asks readers to treat the animals in the book as animals, instead of superimposing an allegory on their behaviour. “It is a tendency of the human species to see themselves in everything, to assume all living things, animals in particular, are simply corollaries to humans.“ - Accurate!
🐶 Johannes. You will either love him or hate him, but you won’t be able to stay neutral about him. His knowledge goes far beyond what you would expect from a dog. He isn’t afraid to voice his opinions freely because he knows his opinions are right. He makes for a fabulous first-person narrator.
🐶 The genuine feel of the dog’s perspective in this book. Anyone who knows dogs knows that they are like little children: excitable, loving, playful, loyal, friendly, and adamant. Johannes’s narration epitomises all these quality beautifully. Listening to him feels like we are actually hearing from a dog.
🐶 Johannes’s vocabulary! He isn't a typical dog, and his locution proves it. It was hilarious to see a dog use words such as propulsion and gravitas and ascertain and ignominious! 😆Kids might not know all these words, but there’s no better way to learn new words than through a book, especially one narrated by a dog. I loved his lingo.
🐶 The other animal characters. All outstanding! It’s so amazing that the author didn’t stick to the usual animals. The idea of a dog, a seagull (Bertrand was my favourite after Johannes!), a raccoon, a squirrel, and a pelican working as the Eyes of the park and reporting to bison is preposterous and yet hilarious. Each animals’ personality comes out distinctly, which is highly praiseworthy considering that we know only Johannes’ inner thoughts.
🐶 The uncommon perspective. Looking at humans from an external view offers much food for thought. We see through the five Eyes how humans can affect animals in parks knowingly and unknowingly.
🐶 The plot. Not like most dog stories, which are usually about loyalty towards humans. Johannes being the master of his own will contributes much in setting this book apart from the standard canine-literature offerings.
🐶 The beautiful descriptions of nature in the park, with such lush and vibrant imagery that we feel we are right there beside Johannes. The entire writing is lyrical.
🐶 The humour throughout, thanks to Johannes, who was funny despite not deliberately being funny. Some of his thoughts were so ludicrous that I couldn’t help laughing aloud!
🐶 The use of hyperbole in the narrative. Johannes’ over-the-top estimations (He clearly doesn’t know his math!) and exaggerated self-aggrandizement are outrageous. Listening to his narration is akin to hearing a little child who embellishes every story they recount. It feels more cute than annoying, and though I did roll my eyes at times, it was more out of amusement than out of exasperation.
🐶 Nice, short chapters, perfect for little eyes and ears.
🐶 The secondary themes. Though not directly, the content touches upon some sensitive topics such as religious tolerance, xenophobia, racial discrimination, and individual freedom.


Bookish Mixed Bags:
🐾 Johannes rambles a lot, sometimes going almost stream of consciousness in his thread of thought. While this is fun, it is also confusing at times. It will be easier to go with the flow to keep up with this hyperactive but loveable dog.
🐾 The blurb calls this an illustrated novel, which is partly inaccurate. It is not replete with graphics, but there are nine fabulous watercolour full-page illustrations. These are classical landscapes by famous artists, on each of which illustrator Shawn Harris added Johannes. These are visually stunning! Every “painting” depicts Johannes at one with the park, either running or contemplating. So yes, you get nine paintings with Johannes, not a book full of illustrations.
🐾 Things do go a bit over the top at the end, but what the heck! It’s a children’s book – leave logic aside and enjoy!

Bookish Nays:
🐕 The plot has a mention of bird suicide. This wasn’t that important to the core story and could easily have been avoided, considering the target age of the readers.


All in all, this was a fun ride. I adore dogs, so it was easy for me to enjoy a dog’s perspective in such an unusual story. The other animals added to the charm.
Definitely recommended! It’s a very good book, made great by the main character.

4.25 stars.

My thanks to McSweeney's for providing the DRC of “The Eyes and the Impossible” via NetGalley. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

I didn't have any idea what to expect with this book, but I was absolutely delighted! The story and the illustrations are lovely, evocative, and heartwarming. I'm a dog lover, though I don't typically read books about dogs are that feature dogs as characters, but this book turned my preconceived notions upside down. The book's universe is wildly unique, and I adored the characters. It really is suitable for adults, and I rarely make that statement.

Johannes is a free dog living in the park. He is the eyes of the park for the bison, relaying the news of the park. But when he accidently steps into the notice of the humans by his fascination in the art exhibit and his rescue of a human child, he is on the most wanted list. Eventually he must find a way to move on f her wants to retain his freedom. - I really was not a fan of this title.

Just a boring read, with a most annoying canine narrator. Perhaps pick something for the younger audience written by someone who knows, writes and reads such books, because this sure doesn't feel like one.

What a wonderful tale of Johannes, the dog, who tells of living in a park with many other animals. The Bison, of which there are three, in the park have asked Johannes to be “The Eyes” in the park and report to them what is happening so that the animals can keep the park in equilibrium. That is how the reader learns about Johannes and how proud he is of the park, his ability to run very fast, and his powers of observation. He also has many friends (birds, squirrels, raccoons, etc.) who keep their eyes open for things going on in the park, and all is reported back to The Bison.

Several adventurous events happen to show how the animals work together to help each other. And then Johannes decides that The Bison need to be free, to go out of the park, and live where they are not fenced in. That is when "The Impossible" begins! All the animals are involved in The Plan, and work together to accomplish this monumental task. And what an exciting time it is!

From beginning to end, this is a wonderful book for young children up to middle grade. But I even loved it as an adult! The animals are wonderful and caring, and even funny. It is a great book, and I’m so glad I had the opportunity to read it!

I’d like to thank NetGalley, Dave Eggers, and Alfred A. Knopf for the advanced reader's copy in exchange for my unbiased review.

This is such a serene and special book! I loved reading it and can imagine how much younger audiences will too. In particular, the dialogue was so charming and kept me captivated. I also really adored the dog named Johannes. He is a wonderful main character. The story is interesting and the writing is beautiful. This repeated part, especially:

God is the Sun.
Clouds are her messengers.
Rain is only rain.

Thank you Knopf Books for Young Readers, McSweeney's, and NetGalley for the ARC.

I read this book in one sitting, it was so good! Fans of One and Only Ivan, A Wolf Called Wander, and Pax will love The Eyes and the Impossible, told from the POV of Johannes, a dog who serves as the Eyes of a large city park. Abandoned there as a puppy, he has grown up wild and free, running very very fast to keep tabs on everything happening in the park so he can report back to the Elders, three elderly bison. He has friends who help him in their own unique ways: a seagull, a pelican, a raccoon, and a squirrel.
But as change comes to the park, and then a literal boatload of goats, Johannes begins to learn more about the world and himself, and what it means to be truly free.
The art in this book is gorgeous, as well as the prose, which truly captures Johannes' spirit.

Ooo I can be a tough sell on an animal book. But this one, I genuinely can’t wait to use this one in class as a class read aloud.

It’s is going to take a beat for me to sort out what worked so well exactly about this one. I think I especially enjoyed how much everydayness and adventure were woven in together in a way that properly transported me.

The friendships were everything.

I can see my kiddos who loved Wild Robot really enjoying this one and being taken someone new.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Johannes is a free dog who lives in the park, doing his brave duty of watching everything that goes on there and helping the bison achieve equilibrium. When animals are in trouble, they are helped, and when humans get a little too adventurous, the animals devise ways of pushing them back. But when a new building opens, one surrounded by art, Johannes becomes a little too enraptured with the vivid rectangles, and the park rangers notice a wild dog lurking about. But Johannes is a free dog, and he refuses to stay safe if it costs him his freedom. But how can he escape? What's more, how can he gift freedom to his friends?

Truly, this is a moving read. The animals are just a bit too clever for their own good, but they are, at heart, animals. The narration is convincing, and the story full of just enough zest to keep even young readers wanting to know more. I didn't so much like the callousness of some of the people and animals, but I can't deny that it's realistic. I also grabbed the audiobook to read along, and found the narrator to be well-equipped to handle Johannes's enthusiasm and thoughtfulness, although the howling is better read than heard. The illustrations are also gorgeous, coming in at surprising moments so readers can take a break from the action to appreciate the scenery. Overall, an enjoyable read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

What a delightful, jaunty read—and exquisitely-produced! The Eyes and the Impossible is a light-hearted, faster-than-light friend that readers will love.

Oh my goodness, this novel was amazingly beautiful, funny, and inspiring! I loved it! Reminded me very much of "Fox 8" by George Saunders. Eggers' book has the same type of lovable animal character in Johannes as does Saunders in Fox 8! The illustrations are beautiful as well. This is an amazing book, would expect nothing less from Dave Eggers!

Thanks so much for the ARC. I normally adore Eggers’ writing but struggled with this one. I will probably still buy a copy for my collection bc of the pictures, though.

It's such a soothing read! I adore Johannes as "The Eyes" and the other animals in this book. Johannes is really an admirable character. He is intelligent, compassionate, and always interested in new things. The writing style and illustrations are also really stunning. Their bond is so valuable that I wish I could have it all to myself.

Thank you to Netgalley and McSweeney's for providing the ARC.

Such an incredible children's book with so many completely profound life lessons pertaining to... well, just about everything. Done in such a way that it doesn't feel at all preachy or like it's even trying to change your life while it does exactly that. Johannes is one of my new favorite book characters of all times, and the way he sees the world and himself is inspiring.

The Eyes and the Impossible is about a dog named Johannes who is known as "The Eyes" and reports to a group of bison all that goes on in the park they all live in. I loved Johannes and all the other animal characters. Johannes and the other animals come up with a plan to free the bison from their enclosure, but have to contend with human intervention while they devise their plans, especially from people who keep trying to catch Johannes. My favorite part is the writing style, it's written from Johannes's POV and it really elevates what could have been a generic animal story and makes it fun and funny and delightfully strange.

It’s always fun to read something from the perspective of a dog. This dog makes his home in a local city park and you’ll be entertained by the company he keeps and the other characters that they encounter. It’s a nice story of friendship and observations.

This was a beautiful, gorgeous, lyrical book. It has humor and insight. I loved the Johannes the dog (also known as The Eyes) and Bertrand & Sonja (the bird and the squirrel).

This book is a love letter to E.B. White. It’s a love letter to art and nature. A love letter to going forth and taking risks. But it’s a hate letter to ducks (you will get this once you read it)

The Eyes and the Impossible is a soul soother of a book that I will pick up & read again for years to come. I will definitely be purchasing the special edition from McSweeney’s!

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read the ARC of this book. I loved the story told by this character. We humans can learn a lot from the animals in this book.