The illustrated story of a dog who unwittingly becomes a hero to a park full of animals.

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. ( )

Delightful story full of heart and subtle humor. Not "Charlotte's Web"-level sentiment, but touching, still. ( )

Wow. This book is endlessly beautiful. It filled my heart. There are no wasted words. I won't try to explain it or describe it, I will just let the feeling of it sit within me. This book is a big feeling. Read it. Feel it. Share it. ( )

From ALSC: This artistically illustrated novel shares a hero's journey of Johannes, a free dog, as he learns about friendship and living in the wider world. “Eggers puts us inside the mind of Johannes, a free-spirited canine. ‘The Eyes and the Impossible’ is a captivating read that is full of joy,” said 2024 Newbery Medal Committee Chair Amber Creger.

This year’s newbery medal winner. I barely made it through. The main characters are animals (a dog is the narrator), and normally I would NOPE that after the first page, but since I have read *all* of the Newberys I felt obligated to continue. And of course there’s animal abuse. Ugh. Also, Eggers commits the literary since of winking just a little too hard at his own cleverness. This one firmly goes in the Newbery Duds column for me. ( )