Andersen Press are delighted to announce the acquisition of The Eyes and the Impossible by Dave Eggers, illustrated by Shawn Harris. Winner of the Newbery Medal, a Book of the Year in ten US outlets, and a New York Times bestseller, The Eyes and the Impossible is an astonishing story about friendship, beauty and liberation, and will make readers of all ages see the world around them in a wholly new way.
Johannes is a free dog, a fast dog – such a fast dog! He lives in an urban park by the sea, and every day, he runs through the park, seeing all, missing nothing, and reporting what he sees to the park’s three ancient Bison, the Keepers of the Equilibrium. But the Equilibrium has been disrupted. Mysterious rectangles are hypnotising Johannes, the humans are erecting a strange new building, and an entirely new kind of animal has arrived in the park. Johannes must run faster, see better, and ultimately do more than run and see – he must liberate those he loves.
The Eyes and the Impossible was acquired by Andersen Press’s Publishing Director, Charlie Sheppard from Alessandra Birch on behalf of Steve Malk at Writers House. The book will publish in paperback and also as a deluxe, wood-bound collectors’ edition with gilded edges. Andersen will launch a major campaign including a TikTok and influencer focus, media coverage, school resources and digital advertisements.
Publishing Director, Charlie Sheppard, said of the book: I have long admired Dave Eggers as an author, a publisher and a creative, and I feel honoured that he is allowing Andersen Press to bring his latest stunning creation to UK readers. This is a book for book lovers, a story for those who love and need stories. It reminds us that there are still original and unpredictable ways of writing and seeing the world. And it demonstrates what beautiful, desirable objects books can be.
Praise for The Eyes and the Impossible
‘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.’
JON KLASSEN
‘We need brave, big stories like these’
THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW
‘One of the most appealing heroes in recent children’s literature… unusually touching and funny’
WALL STREET JOURNAL
The Eyes and the Impossible by Dave Eggers will publish in both paperback and wooden collectors hardback edition in September 2024
About Dave Eggers (Author)
Dave Eggers is the author of many books, including The Every, The Circle, The Monk of Mokha and the National Book Award finalist A Hologram for the King, as well as numerous books for young readers, including Her Right Foot, Faraway Things and The Lifters. He is the founder of the independent publishing company McSweeney’s and the co-founder of 826 Valencia, a youth writing centre. He is the winner of the Muhammad Ali Humanitarian Award for Education and the Dayton Literary Peace Prize.
About Shawn Harris (Illustrator)
Shawn Harris’s first illustrated book Her Right Foot by Dave Eggers received seven starred reviews, was an Orbis Pictus Award Honor Book, an ALA Notable, and a PW Best Book of the Year. His other picture books include Eggers’What Can a Citizen Do (a Time Magazine Best Children’s Book), Everyone’s Awake by Colin Meloy, and A Polar Bear in the Snow by Mac Barnett, which received four starred reviews.
