A huge elephant seal made her home in Avon River in Christchurch, NZ and the townspeople named her Elizabeth, Queen of the Seas.  She swam in the river, basked and sunned on the banks – all 8 feet and twelve hundred pounds of her.  Everyone loved Elizabeth and all was fine until she decided to sunbathe in the middle of the road.  Everyone worried about Elizabeth causing accidents or getting hurt so a group of volunteers captured her and pulled her out to sea to a colony of elephant seals.  Elizabeth came back.  Two more attempts were made to relocate Elizabeth, each to more distant places but Elizabeth wasn’t having it.  Months after the last attempt, she swam back up the Avon again.  The people of Christchurch decided it was better to warn traffic than take Elizabeth away from her home. Cox tells the story from the point of view of a little boy named Michael and very wisely doesn’t anthropomorphize Elizabeth. http://www.booklistreader.com/2014/08/12/bookends-childrens-literature/elizabeth-queen-of-the-seas-by-lynne-cox/

The real Elizabeth, Queen of the Seas! Homer, the Elephant Seal http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/wild/caught-in-the-act/videos/car-crushing-seal/ Elephant Seals, Elephant Seal Pictures, Elephant Seal Facts - National Geographic http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/elephant-seal/ For photos, maps, fast facts and an audio clip of Elephant Seals.

AUTHOR: Lynne Cox · lynnecox AUTHOR: Lynne Cox · lynnecox.org Lynne Cox is an American long-distance open-water swimmer and writer. On one of Cox’s trips to New Zealand, she visited Christchurch, where she encountered a young boy and girl who were waiting for Elizabeth. When they told her the story, she knew she would one day write about Elizabeth, Queen of the Seas. This is her first picture book. Illustrator – Information: Brian Floca Locomotive – Caldecott winner

Illustrator, Brian Floca