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Dave Eggers's The Eyes and the Impossible is a big, joyful animal adventure for 10 year olds told by a dog who is quite sure he's the fastest thing alive.
His name is Johannes. He lives free in a huge park by the sea, and he is the Eyes. Every day he runs the whole park, then reports back to three ancient Bison who keep everything in balance (the Equilibrium, they call it).
Johannes is a brilliant narrator. He races cars and toy boats. He runs "like light". He once stared straight into a solar eclipse and nothing happened. Has anyone actually seen him run? Absolutely not, he'll tell you. Nobody is that quick.
He also laughs at dogs on leads. Ha ha hoooooo! Pets!
His helpers are a joy too. Bertrand the seagull greets everyone with "Hi hi". There's Sonja the one-eyed squirrel, Yolanda the clumsy pelican who can read, and Angus the chubby raccoon who's always late. The ducks, Johannes keeps reminding you, know nothing.
Then a new building goes up in the park's plaza, and pictures appear on little walls outside it. One of them stops Johannes in his tracks. It's a child's face in a hurricane, with stars inside the child and birds flying upside down. He can't stop going back to look at it, and that's where his trouble starts.
It's a book about looking closely. Seeing a painting through the eyes of a dog who has never seen one before might just get your reader wondering what art is actually for.
One thing to know before you start. A gang of thieves catches Johannes on a rope lead and drags him into their van. One of them says he'll kick the dog, then kill him, if he barks. Johannes is scared and hurt by the rope, and for a dog who has always been free that's a horrible feeling. A reader who gets anxious about animals in danger might want you close by for that part.
Got a child who loves a hero with LOTS of confidence, and a story that's funny and tender at the same time? This is a great pick.
If they're keen for more Dave Eggers, try The Lifters next. Gran moves to a hilly town where his family's crooked old house leans downhill, and art matters to him too. He shapes clay into whales and narwhals whenever life gets hard.
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