about the book
Normally elephant seals live in the ocean, but “there once was a lovely elephant seal who lived in the city”: Elizabeth. She preferred the tranquil Avon River in Christchurch, New Zealand, to the salty ocean.
Everything is fine until Elizabeth begins to sun herself on a busy asphalt road and she barely avoids getting killed. Volunteers move her to an elephant seal colony to prevent a similar incident from happening again.
But she finds her way back to the city. Three times.
Is there any way for Elizabeth to stay in the city?
about the author
Lynne Cox was born in Boston, Massachusetts. She began her swimming career at age 9 with the Manchester Swim Team, which was coached by Ben Muritt, the Harvard University coach. At age 12, her family moved to Los Alamitos, California, where she began training with Don Gambril, the coach of four U.S. Olympic Swim teams.
Among Lynne’s many record-breaking achievements, she shattered the men’s and women’s world records for swimming across the English Channel. She was only fifteen at the time. She’s now swum in about 40 different countries, including Antarctica.
Swimming across the Bering Strait in 1987 is one of her most rewarding swims. In fact, it opened the border between the United States and the Soviet Union for the first time in 48 years, promoting peace between the two counties. See her website for a full list of her accomplishments.
One time when she was training off Seal Beach, California, she found herself swimming with a baby gray whale that was lost. A man on the pier told her to keep swimming with the whale until its mother came. Lynne swam with the baby whale for hours. One of Lynne’s books, Grayson, is based on this experience.
Elizabeth, Queen of the Seas was inspired by another unique encounter. After swimming across three glacial lakes in New Zealand, she spent some time in the city of Christchurch. While walking along the Avon River, a little boy and his sister asked if she was looking for Elizabeth and proceeded to tell her all about the elephant seal who lived in the river. She knew she had to share Elizabeth’s story.
Lynne was inducted into the Swimming Hall of Fame in 2000. She currently lives in Los Alamitos, California.
Sources:
Author website
Author biography: Knopf DoubleDay
Author interview: Mr. Schu Reads
Author interview: Nomadic Lifestyle
Author talks about swimming
about the illustrator
Brian Floca was born and raised in Temple, Texas. His mom, a former teacher, stayed home with him and his little sister while his dad ran the family soft-drink bottling company. Brian’s appreciation for gears and machinery began with childhood visits to the bottling plant.
After drawing for as long as he could remember, Brian became the go-to-guy if you wanted a cartoon for your t-shirt during high school. But even then he didn’t know if he was good enough to turn it into a living.
While attending Brown University, Brian was lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time. Avi was looking for an illustrator for his graphic novel City of Light, City of Dark. Normally authors don’t find, let alone choose, their illustrator, but graphic novels were new to the market at that time. Avi happened to mention his need to Brian’s teacher, who mentioned it to Brian. The rest is history.
Brian still works with Avi on some projects, but he also writes his own books. His books are often nonfiction picture books. In 2014, he won the Caldecott Medal for Locomotive.
Brian currently lives in Brooklyn, New York. He writes and illustrates full time.
Sources:
Illustrator website
Illustrator interview: American Library Association
Illustrator interview: BookPage
Illustrator talks about what an illustrator does
Also by Brian Floca:
Five Trucks. Atheneum Books for Young Readers. 2014.
Locomotive. Richard Jackson Books. 2013.
Moonshot : The Flight of Apollo 11. Richard Jackson Books. 2009.
The Hinky-Pink by Megan McDonald. Richard Jackson Books. 2008.
Lightship. Richard Jackson Books. 2007.
Uncles and Antlers by Lisa Wheeler. Atheneum Books for Young Readers. 2004.
The Racecar Alphabet. Atheneum Books for Young Readers. 2003.
read more!
Dadblamed Union Army Cow by Susan Fletch
When a young man joins the Union army, his loyal cow follows him onto the train and right into the battlefield. She just won’t git, that dadblamed cow! Soon the soldiers realize that this peculiar cow has something surprising to offer.
Lightship by Brian Floca
Come aboard the lightship! These floating lighthouses may be smaller than most ships, but they’re more steadfast and guide sailors to safe waters. “The crew goes / again from bow to stern, / from keel to mast, / to run their engines, / shine their lights, / and sound their horns.” Come aboard the lightship!
Dozer’s Run : A True Story of a Dog and His Race by Debbie Levy
Dozer the Goldendoodle is yearning for an adventure. When a runner runs past his yard, followed by another, and another, Dozer decides to join them. It’s a half-marathon for charity, and Dozer, who wasn’t even supposed to be in the race, raises more money than any contestant! Discover how Dozer’s accidental participation in the Maryland Half Marathon in May 2011 inspired thousands of people.