The winner of the 2024 Newbery Award, The Eyes and the Impossible with capture the reader within the first few pages. This can’t be helped because the protagonist, Johannes, is so confident and so sure of his place in the world and that it is infectious. There is action, there is humor, and there is a whole lot of heart in this story. The author makes it very clear that the animals are animals and they don’t represent anything but themselves, but the feelings that Johannes has are ones we can all relate to, such as joy, fear, confusion, and a sense of purpose. This is just plain, great literature and a breath of fresh air that will most likely become a timeless classic.

The book has about a half of dozen, full-color, cross-over illustrations of Johannes in his beloved park. The illustrations have almost a Hudson River School style, and they show none of the other characters in the story besides Johannes. The audiobook version is read by Ethan Hawke, and it is magnificently done. Mr. Hawke captures all the gusto and verve that Johannes has for himself, his friends, and his home. This book receives our unequivocal recommendation.

Review of the unabridged audiobook

Content Analysis:

Profanity/Language: 8 religious exclamations.

Violence/Gore: Report of death of deer from being hit by a car; report of the death of an old animal; an animal has only one eye because it lost the other in a fight with another animal; animal bites a human on the leg; human leashes an animal against its will; animal bites a human; animal is severely injured by a projectile; birds have a ritual when they get old and are ready to die they fly as high as they can and then drop to their death; animal is pursued by humans.

Sex/Nudity: None

Mature Subject Matter:

One species of animals has a death ritual.

Alcohol/Drug Use:

None