[4.25] I’ve had an affinity for animal fiction since I was a pre-teen and fell in love with ”Charlotte’s Web” and “The Cricket in Times Square.” So it was no surprise that I found Eggers’ adventure utterly delightful. The characters were enchanting and oftentimes hilarious. The writing was solid. The plot — while a bit predictable and perhaps even cliche in spots — had enough twists to keep the narrative moving at a nice pace. Eggers explores numerous themes, including friendship, freedom and bias without becoming preachy or heavy-handed. I highly recommend “The Eyes & the Impossible” to animal aficionados of all ages. ( )

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. ( )