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From Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC)

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)

CCBC Choices 2024 © Cooperative Children's Book Center, Univ. of Wisconsin - Madison, 2024. Used with permission.

From School Library Journal

Starred review from September 22, 2023

Gr 3-7-Johannes, a free dog in an urban park by the sea, runs so fast that humans are blind to him. He is the "Eyes" of the park, and each day he is tasked to report the happenings he sees to the Bison. Meredith, Samuel, and Freya are the elderly bison who must protect the Equilibrium of the Park and watch out for problematic people, known as Trouble Travelers. Johannes's narration is imbued with humor, complete with exaggerated and sophisticated vocabulary. The dog knows the park is huge, but assumes it's 10,000 miles long, and thinks elderly Freya must be 6,000 years old. Many other animals coexist in the park, from the ducks who know nothing to the assistant Eyes of the park: squirrel, raccoon, a seagull, and pelican. When a new art museum is built, the mesmerizing rectangles (art pieces) cause Johannes to slow down and get nabbed by the Trouble Travelers. After his daring escape, Johannes decides the Bison should also leave their enclosures and goes about devising a plan, involving his animal friends and visiting goats. Caldecott honoree Harris has taken classical landscapes from hundreds of years past and added Johannes seamlessly to the paintings. Eggers shows animal friendships based upon coexisting and highlighting ones strengths, while helping the greater good. VERDICT Almost proselike, the voices and personalities of Johannes and his comrades are endearing; their unique story will enchant readers and encourage them to focus on what is most important in life.-Michele Shaw

Copyright 2023 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

From Publisher's Weekly

Starred review from March 13, 2023
In this exuberant illustrated novel by previous collaborators Eggers and Harris (What Can a Citizen Do?), high-spirited narrator Johannes is an "unkept and free" dog entrusted by the Keepers of the Equilibrium-three penned Bison who oversee the park where they all live-to be the park's Eyes. Aided by a team of "comrades, allies" known as the Assistant Eyes (seagull Bertrand, squirrel Sonja, pelican Yolanda, and raccoon Angus), Johannes reports each day's occurrences to the Bison, including anything that might upset the Equilibrium. When construction activity is detected, Johannes encounters "rectangles full of gorgeous commotion"-an art display that transfixes him, leading to his being leashed. After a dramatic cooperative rescue devised by the Assistant Eyes, Johannes realizes the "glory of liberation" and determines to free the Bison from their enclosure. Studded with strong opinions about the park's residents ("The ducks know nothing"), a quick-moving first-person voice melds the dog's background, beliefs, and observations. Eggers crafts a marvelous, fully fleshed protagonist in Johannes, who is at once an ebullient braggart, a faithful and intrepid operative, and a drolly humorous reporter whose compassionate narration delivers a rousing tale of community, joyful self-reliance, and the pleasures of running very, very fast. Aligning with themes of art and perspective, Harris contributes illustrations of Johannes as added to full-page reproductions of classical landscapes. Ages 8—12.

From Kirkus

Starred review from March 1, 2023
A wild dog who serves as the Eyes for Bison living in a park enclosure devises a plan to free them. Exuberant, observant dog Johannes runs daily throughout the park, which is visited by humans, reporting to Freya, Meredith, and Samuel, three old Bison who are the Keepers of the Equilibrium. Johannes and other Assistant Eyes--a sea gull, a squirrel, a pelican, and a raccoon--describe an art museum being built in the park, a "building full of chaos-rectangles." Johannes finds it captivating, leading to his capture by humans--and subsequent rescue by the other Eyes in a demonstration of interspecies cooperation. This gives him the idea to free the Bison. The appearance of goats, who have been brought in to eat weeds, provides a friend, a revelation, and a new plan and purpose: "to pull off the impossible." Johannes' first-person narration is an interesting mix of poetic language, sophisticated vocabulary, philosophy, humor, hyperbole, and both short declarative and run-on sentences; his estimations of time, size, and quantity are particularly exaggerated. Johannes' loyalty, friendship, and commitment to a noble purpose, even as his sense of self shifts, the stakes are raised, and last-minute changes to the plan occur, make him an admirable character. The artwork consists of double-page spreads reproducing magnificent fine art landscapes into which Harris has seamlessly inserted Johannes, cleverly adapting to each painter's style and color palette. One remarkable creature vividly shows readers that "there is so, so much to see." (author's note, sources) (Fiction. 9-14)

COPYRIGHT(2023) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

From Booklist

Starred review from February 15, 2023
Grades 4-7 *Starred Review* Johannes has always lived his life as a free dog in a vast park by the sea. Three captive elderly bison are the Keepers of the Equilibrium and overseers of the land, and they've dubbed Johannes "the Eyes," as his agility and observant gaze allow him to notice the park's happenings and report back to the bison. An assortment of wild animals assists Johannes on his daily intel gatherings, and he's content in his dear friendships and freedom. But change is afoot: an enormous building containing mesmerizing rectangles is being built, a herd of mysterious creatures has set up shop in a field, and a heroic act brings Johannes intense human scrutiny that impedes his duties as the Eyes. It will require all of Johannes' ingenuity, kindness, and speed to navigate the new developments while maintaining his precious independence. The utterly delightful book is narrated by a distinctly canine voice similar to the narrator's in Eggers' short story "After I Was Thrown in the River and Before I Drowned," and though Johannes is prone to matter-of-fact bragging and hilarious exaggeration, he's also capable of profound introspection and appreciation of life's wonders. Eggers touches on deep topics with a light hand, effortlessly building suspense and a wonderful sense of adventure. A merry reminder to face the truth about the world and ourselves with compassion, curiosity, and joy.

COPYRIGHT(2023) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

From AudioFile Magazine

Ethan Hawke delivers a spectacular performance of Dave Eggers's 2024 Newbery Medal-winning middle-grade animal story in which Eggers assures us, ". . . the dogs are dogs, the birds are birds, goats are goats, the bison bison." Hawke is more than up to the task of interpreting the rich, complex language describing creatures who, along with three penned bison, maintain the equilibrium of a wooded park bordering the sea. Through his judicious use of inflection, accent, and pacing, Hawke creates convincing voices for all the animals, saving his most authentic voice for Johannes, doggiest of dogs, fastest of the fast, "the eyes" of the park. This outstanding combination of extraordinary writing and exceptional narration makes for a remarkable family listening experience. S.G. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2024, Portland, Maine