Izzy & Oscar

Izzy and her friends are in the middle of a serious pirate phrase. “Call me Izzy,” she says, opening the book in Melvillean fashion. “It’s only Isabel if I am in trouble. And the captain is never in trouble.” Izzy’s friends already have their own pirate animal mascots, and Izzy finds hers in a purple octopus named Oscar. Dockray (Sweet Baby Feet) draws Oscar with a semblance of naturalistic detail, but Estes and Stark are in it for the laughs as Izzy tries to train Oscar. “He was pretty good on the leash. Mostly,” they write as Oscar all but glues himself to the door of a sushi restaurant. And, later, Oscar parlays a heroic swimming-pool rescue into a gig as “the best lifeguard ever,” complete with whistle and sunglasses. Offsetting the comedy, the authors conclude with a list of 12 octopus facts, noting the animal’s camouflage and regenerative abilities. It’s a goofy, good-natured story of a decidedly nontraditional pet. Because, as Izzy explains, “A traditional pet does not squoosh out black ink all over everything. And your mother.” Ages 4–8. Agent: Brianne Johnson, Writers House. (Apr.)