Elizabeth, Queen of the Seas

This heartwarming tale -- now available in paperback -- is based on the real-life story of an elephant seal who kept swimming back to her home in the middle of a busy road in New Zealand, no matter how far she was taken out to sea.World-renowned swimmer and bestselling author Lynne Cox and Caldecott Medal-winning illustrator Brian Floca team up to bring us this inspiring story of an elephant seal who knew exactly where she belonged.Here is the incredible story of Elizabeth, a real-life elephant seal who made her home in the Avon River in the city of Christchurch, New Zealand. When Elizabeth decides to stretch out across a two-lane road, the citizens worry she might get hurt or cause traffic accidents, so a group of volunteers tows her out to sea. But Elizabeth swims all the way back to Christchurch. The volunteers catch her again and again-each time towing her farther, even hundreds of miles away-but, still, Elizabeth finds her way back home.Includes back matter with information about elephant seals.

Short-listed for Irma Simonton Black Award 2015 Short-listed for Nebraska Golden Sower Award 2016 Nominated for Arkansas Diamond Primary Book Award 2016 Nominated for Connecticut Nutmeg Children's Book Award 2018 Nominated for Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Award 2015 Nominated for New York State Charlotte Award 2016 Nominated for Pennsylvania Young Reader's Choice Award 2016 Nominated for Red Clover Award 2015 Nominated for Washington Children's Choice Picture Book Award 2017

Publishers Weekly starred review, February 24, 2014
“The newly minted Caldecott winner may be best known for his more encyclopedic works, but he proves that whether the subject is trains or stubborn seals, he’s a master storyteller."

Publishers Weekly starred review, February 24, 2014
“Based on a true story—there is a photo of the real Elizabeth in the illuminating afterword—this is superior addition to shelves featuring wild animal personalities.“

School Library Journal starred review, May 2014
"Children are likely to request multiple readings of this compelling told and lovingly illustrated true story." 

The Bulletin starred review, July/August 2014:
"The book’s sunny temperament, Southern setting, and focus on an animal who knows where she wants to be despite human intervention make it a neat inverted complement to Carnesi’s compelling and fact-based Little Dog Lost."

LYNNE COX is a legendary long-distance, open-water swimmer; the author of several books for adults, including South with the Sun, Grayson (a New York Times bestseller), and Swimming to Antarctica (a New York Times bestseller); and a contributor to the New Yorker. She has set records for swimming all around the world, and in 2000 she was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame. Lynne first learned of Elizabeth's story when she traveled to New Zealand to swim across three lakes near Mount Cook. This is her first children's book.BRIAN FLOCA is the Caldecott Medal-winning author/illustrator of Locomotive, which was also a Sibert Honor Book. He has written and illustrated many award-winning books for children, including Moonshot- The Flight of Apollo 11, a Sibert Honor Book and a New York Times Best Illustrated Book; Lightship, a Sibert Honor Book and a Booklist Top of the List; and The Racecar Alphabet, an ALA Notable Book and a Kirkus Reviews Editors' Choice. He is also the illustrator of Ballet for Martha- Making Appalachian Spring by Jan Greenberg and Sandra Jordan, a Sibert Honor Book and winner of the NCTE Orbis Pictus Award for Outstanding Nonfiction for Children.

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