The Eyes and the Impossible (Deluxe Wood-Bound Edition)

WINNER OF THE 2024 NEWBERRY MEDAL

Eggers, Dave , Harris, Shawn 저자(글)

McSweeney's Books · 2023년 05월 16일

책 소개

A New York Times bestseller and Today Show Summer Pick
A wild, lyrical, hilarious and beautiful story of a wild dog living and surviving in an urban park

Johannes, a free dog, lives in a park hemmed in on three sides by dense human neighborhoods, and on one side by the ocean. His job is to be the Eyes--to see everything that happens within the park and report to the park's elders, three ancient bison who ensure the Equilibrium. His friends--a stalwart seagull, a mordant raccoon, a one-eyed squirrel, and a pelican who can read--work with him as the Assistant Eyes, observing the humans and other animals who share the park and making sure everything 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' view of the world. Readers will thrill to Johannes's inimitable and wonderful voice, and will gorge on this unforgettable story of friendship, beauty, liberation, and running very, very fast.

작가정보

저자(글) Eggers, Dave

Dave Eggers grew up near Chicago and graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He is the founder of McSweeney’s, an independent publishing house in San Francisco that produces books, a quarterly journal of new writing (McSweeney’s Quarterly Concern), and a monthly magazine, The Believer. McSweeney’s publishes Voice of Witness, a nonprofit book series that uses oral history to illuminate human rights crises around the world. In 2002, he cofounded 826 Valencia, a nonprofit youth writing and tutoring center in San Francisco’s Mission District. Sister centers have since opened in seven other American cities under the umbrella of 826 National, and like-minded centers have opened in Dublin, London, Copenhagen, Stockholm, and Birmingham, Alabama, among other locations. His work has been nominated for the National Book Award, the Pulitzer Prize, and the National Book Critics Circle Award, and has won the Dayton Literary Peace Prize, France’s Prix M?dicis, Germany’s Albatross Prize, the National Magazine Award, and the American Book Award. Eggers lives in Northern California with his family.

저자(글) Harris, Shawn

미국 캘리포니아의 하프 문 베이에 사는 일러스트레이터이자 대중음악가다. 2003년 자신의 밴드 앨범 재킷과 공연 포스터를 그리면서 일러스트를 시작했다. 데이브 에거스가 글을 쓰고 그가 그림을 그린 첫 그림책 『그녀의 오른발』은 여러 단체에서 좋은 그림책으로 상을 받았다. 이후 데이브 에거스, 콜린 멜로이, 맥 바넷 같은 그림책 작가들과 작업하고 있다. 직접 글을 쓰고 그린 책으로 『꽃을 보았니?』가 있다. 그의 다른 그림책으로는 타임지 베스트 아동 도서였던 에거스의 『시민이 할 수 있는 일』, 콜린 멜로이의 『모두가 깨어있다』, 맥 바넷의『 눈 속의 북극곰』, 자신의 작가 일러스트레이션 작품 , 『비즈니스를 하다』 등이 있다.

출판사 서평

“Immerse yourself in this novel, and let Eggers’ physical, fast-paced writing ― which is at the height of its power here ― carry you through his wildly inventive narrative. With gorgeous illustrations by Shawn Harris, here is a book that is truly for all ages, as only the best stories are.”
―Isaac Fitzgerald, The Today Show (author’s pick)

“A warm, comedic tale of interspecies friendship. Johannes is a highly engaging narrator whose exuberance and good nature run like a bright thread through the novel’s pages. It is in the way Johannes speaks about his greatest passion that Eggers shows he has done the imaginative work required to bring us closer to an animal perspective. There is a deeper story here, too, about being yourself and finding freedom. It is hinted at in the natural beauty of the deluxe version of the book, with its solid-wood front and back covers, and in Shawn Harris’s sublime illustrations. Harris places Johannes in classical landscape paintings, running free, demonstrating an appeal that is wilder and more profound than mere canine charm. We need brave, big stories like these, stories that help children (and adults) find their place in a sometimes frightening world.”
―Nicola Davies, New York Times Book Review

“[An] exuberant illustrated novel. 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.”
―starred review, Publishers Weekly

“An exhilarating, funny, frightening, mind-warping, heart-squeezing tale. Told at the speed of light. A must read. For all humans.”
―Jon Scieszka, New York Times–bestselling author and First Inaugural National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature

“So clever and engrossing and sweet. I loved it.”
―Roddy Doyle, Man Booker Prize and Irish PEN Award winner

“The Eyes and the Impossible is Exhibit A in the argument for children’s books being great literature. What a hero! What a story! What a read! Honestly, it’s one of the best novels I’ve read in years. Honestly, I wish I’d written it.”
―Annie Barrows, New York Times–bestselling author of the Ivy + Bean series

“The Eyes and the Impossible is a total delight: a heroic dog’s account of a thrilling adventure, during which a community determines, separately and together, how to live. I loved it.”
―E.B. White Award winner Maile Meloy, New York Times-bestselling author of Liars and Saints

“The Eyes and the Impossible is hilarious, bighearted, and beautifully written. If you want to know what I think, this book right here is a significant contribution to children’s literature.”
―New York Times–bestselling author Mac Barnett, three-time winner of the E.B. White Read Aloud Award

“What a beautiful book! What a funny book! What a wise book! Through the eyes of his proud but sensible canine hero, Dave Eggers invites readers into a place we think we know―a city park―and shows us a hidden world of bravery, loyalty, and muddle-headed ducks. I mean, come on, how can you not love a book where the raccoons declare, “We only bite for justice”?”
―Bruce Handy, author of Wild Things: The Joy of Reading Children’s Literature as an Adult*

“Utterly delightful…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.”
―Booklist, starred review

“Exuberant. Johannes’ first-person narration is an interesting mix of poetic language, sophisticated vocabulary, philosophy, humor, [and] hyperbole. 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.”
―Kirkus, starred review

“Funny and warm and alive. This book will make you feel good to be an animal, taking your run. The Eyes and the Impossible is the sun on your face and the wind at your back.”
―Adam Rex, New York Times–bestselling author-illustrator of On Account of the Gum

“This book is a magic trick. The kind of magic trick where you want to know how to do it so you can also write a book this good.”
―Caldecott Medal winner Jon Klassen

“This book has stayed with me long after finishing it. . . . Better put it on your radar. There’s something to this. Something good. Something memorable. And a lot of goats.”
―Betsy Bird, School Library Journal, Fuse 8, Newbery / Caldecott 2024: Spring Prediction Edition

“I absolutely loved this all-ages novel. A friend of mine, a middle school math teacher, likes to say, “If you can’t explain it to an 8-year-old, you don’t get it.” The older I get, the more I think he’s spot-on with that observation. I can’t remember the last time I laughed out loud while reading. The Eyes and The Impossible is one of the funniest books I’ve ever read – and then I found myself weeping at the end. All the cleverness and silliness lulled me into its strange and beautiful world, and then it took an existential turn that I’ll never forget, and then I found myself deeply invested in the lives and decisions of talking animals. It reminds me of Richard Linklater’s School of Rock (2003) in that it is a great work that can be enjoyed – the full spectrum of enjoyment! laughter and tears and big feeling! – by anyone of any age who enjoys good art. I don’t think I’ll ever look at a duck without chuckling again.”
―Riley Rennhack, Community/Bookstore Manager, Deep Vellum Publishing

“Dave Eggers’s latest middle grade novel is so pure and wonderful! Johannes is a free dog living in a park on an island. He’s the eyes for the Bison who rule and keep the park in harmony. Strange things are happening in the park and Johannes has a big idea. A touching and thought-provoking novel with an irresistible character. The Eyes and the Impossible is truly a delight, I loved seeing the world thorough Johannes’ eyes”
―Jen Steele, Boswell Book Company, Milwaukee

“Johannes is a free dog, refusing to let himself be kept as a pet the way other dogs do, and he’s a keen observer. He has to be, with his senses trained on everything needed to survive in a huge urban park. He’s the Eyes, and other animals act as his Assistant Eyes. Together they watch for any changes that upset their park Equilibrium, and they report directly to the bison who have long lived as kept animals. Some of the people in the park are a stable and likable part of the Equilibrium. Others pose a threat, and human threats become harrowing in a flash. Young readers will be drawn to the original thinking, wisdom, and sly humor of the animals, as they comment on the strange behaviors of people without seeming human themselves. We get a marvelous look inside a world easily overlooked in our daily lives. We get a spine-tingling, profound conclusion, and we’re treated to a uniquely beautiful book. The artwork, the paper quality, the gilded edges, and the carved wooden cover all make this a book lovers dream!”
―Tim McCarthy, Boswell Book Company, Milwaukee, WI

기본정보

ISBN	9781952119453 ( 1952119456 )
발행(출시)일자	2023년 05월 16일
쪽수	250쪽
총권수	1권
언어	영어