Izzy & Oscar Blog Tour {character interview}

I'm thrilled to have the Izzy & Oscar Blog Tour stopping by today! Izzy, the human star of this absolutely adorable picture book, is stopping in for a fun chat...

Izzy & Oscar

by Allison Estes 

illustrated by Tracy Dockray

4/7/15

Sourcebooks Jabberwocky

Octopuses make the best pets! Discover why in this charming picture book from an acclaimed author/illustrator team

Pretend pirate captain Izzy is looking for a pet when an adventurous little octopus squiggles into town. Oscar isn't exactly warm and fuzzy, but Izzy decides to take him home anyway.

Young readers will be tickled by Izzy's attempts to teach Oscar to behave like a dog, a parrot, a pony-and gratified by Izzy's realization that in the end we love others for who they are, not who we want them to be. Besides there's one thing octopuses are really good at...octohugs.

goodreads / amazon / b&n / indiebound

Praise for Izzy & Oscar

"Dockray's lively illustrations portray the action and add to the humor of this cheery, unusual pet story...a grand addition to any pet-themed read-aloud session. " - Kirkus

"It's a goofy, good-natured story of a decidedly nontraditional pet." - Publishers Weekly

by Allison Estes and Tracy Dockray

I couldn’t interview Oscar since he’s busy at the swim pool but Izzy, always willing to take the lead, was quite happy to sit for an interview.

Hi, Izzy, I see you’re dressed as a pirate. Can you tell me about what you’re wearing?

Well, pirate wear is my clothes of choice.  It can get dirty and it just makes me look more “piratey”.  It’s tough because sometimes I have to leave my plastic sword at home since school doesn’t allow it. And… it does get caught on things when I sit down anyway. But then I have nothing to brandish so it’s hard to swashbuckle without it.  And speaking of buckles, I’m hoping to get some of those really pirate looking tall boots, although you never see those at the mall shoe shop.  My Uggs are boot-like, but don’t have buckles and if they get wet they are like sponges on your feet. Not good for burying treasure in the surf.

Um, okay. Why pirates for a girl?

I can’t believe YOU ASKED ME THAT! I should make you walk the plank.

But since you are the interviewer sometimes you have to ask stupid questions to get the interviewee to talk… never my problem.  Well, pirates get to bop around on a boat. Don’t have to go to school. They get to engage in privateering, that’s stealing from the enemy, swing from ropes to other boats and steal their booty.  Then they get to dig in the sand, always fun, and bury the booty.  Making and using treasure maps is a kick too. And the specialized lingo is a thrill….And the parrot, which I don’t really want now after I found Oscar.  Oscar is not as talkative, but a lot smarter. What’s not to like… besides scurvy… and the time Oscar slept on my pillow.

Well, thanks for all this.  Last question.  Izzy, what next?

Oh boy, after my career on the high seas I’m thinking of getting settling down, maybe even get better at math so I can calculate all my profits from privateering.  Or perhaps becoming an animal trainer. I do think mascots are fun, even if mine can’t perch on my shoulder.

Thank you so much for stopping by Izzy and Allison!

Allison Estes has written more than a dozen books. Izzy & Oscar is her first picture book, and was really different and fun to write! Some of her other books are The Short Stirrup Club series (ten titles) for middle-grade readers, four titles in the Thoroughbred series (fun because she got to start over in #24 with all new characters), and Paw & Order: Dramatic Investigations by an Animal Cop on the Beat, which is an adult book but fine for animal lovers of all ages and full of happy endings.

After 29 years in New York City, Allison recently moved back to her home town, Oxford, Mississippi. She lives in the country with her son, two grandparents, two dogs, and two horses. Right now, when she isn’t busy cooking supper, taking care of dogs and horses, teaching writing workshops and driving to soccer, she is working on another picture book, another adult book, and more happy endings.

Tracy Dockray grew up on the plains of West Texas with a love of books and innumerable pets. She moved to New York where she studied fine art and acquired several old motorcycles.  Her career veered from sculpture to puppet making to murals and finally to children’s books. She is ecstatic to have illustrated 30 books including two that she wrote herself.

Tracy now lives in a creaky, cavernous brownstone in Greenwich Village, with a hairless cat, 2 fuzzy dogs, two children and a very tolerant husband.  She is thrilled to have been able to illustrate Mrs. Cleary’s Ramona series and The Mouse and the Motorcycle series since she has a soft spot for them both.  Although Tracy studied Fine Arts in school, she has come to the happy conclusion that drawing pictures for children’s books is the finest art she knows.

Social Media

Website: http://www.tracydockray.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tracy.d.rudd