Age range 8 to 12

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 neighbourhoods, 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 Travellers, 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.