Lynne Cox (1) (1957–)

Long-distance swimmer Lynne Cox tells the story of loggerhead turtle Yoshi in this wonderful work of natural history for the picture book set. Hatched on a beach in Australia, this tiny turtle takes to the waves, growing as she swims and eventually making it to the waters of the southern tip of Africa. Here, injured in a fishing net, she is rescued by a Japanese fisherman, and taken in by the Two Oceans Aquarium in Cape Town, where she would live for some twenty years. Eventually fully grown show more and rehabilitated, Yoshi was released back into the wild with a tracking device, and the world watched in surprise as she made the epic trek home, swimming back across the Indian Ocean toward Australia...

After reading and greatly enjoying author/illustrator Lindsay Moore's recent Yoshi and the Ocean: A Sea Turtle's Incredible Journey Home, I was excited to discover this retelling of the same true story from Cox, whose only other picture book, Elizabeth, Queen of the Seas, was another favorite. I lost no time in tracking Yoshi, Sea Turtle Genius: A True Story about an Amazing Swimmer down, and am certainly glad I did! The narrative is engaging, capturing the magic of Yoshi's ocean journeys, the excitement and danger of her injury and struggle to survive, and the wonder of her epic trek home. The accompanying artwork from Richard Jones, done in paint and then edited digitally, are lovely, and add to the reading pleasure. I think that on the whole the Moore title edges this one out, in terms of my regard for it, but this is a close second, and I liked the fact that it started at Yoshi's birth, rather than her injury, as the Moore did. Recommended to young animal lovers, particularly turtle lovers, and to young would-be marine biologists. show less

Long-distance swimmer Lynne Cox relates the true story of Elizabeth, an elephant seal who lived in Christchurch, New Zealand, in this wonderful picture-book. Swimming in the sweet water of the Avon River, and sunning herself on a nearby road, our phocine heroine, dubbed "Elizabeth, Queen of the Seas" by the people of Christchurch because of her regal mien, knew she belonged in the city. The humans, on the other hand, were not as sure, and tried multiple times to relocate her to wilder show more locales. To their surprise, and eventual delight, Elizabeth always made her way home again, until the humans (always a little slow) finally accepted her presence, and adjusted their behavior accordingly...

Elizabeth, Queen of the Seas is an absolute delight! I found myself rooting for the eponymous Elizabeth, as she struggles just to remain in the place she has chosen as a home, and think the choice to have Michael - one of the children who originally told Lynne Cox the story - as a focal point was a good storytelling decision, as it highlights the positive impact this elephant seal had on the humans around her. The pen-and-ink and watercolor illustrations by Caldecott medalist Brian Floca are every bit as engaging as the text, capturing the poignancy of Elizabeth's many journeys. I particularly liked the moonlit scene in which she arrives home for the last time. I appreciated the informative afterword, which included a photograph of the real Elizabeth, although I would have liked more information about her, rather than about elephant seals in general. Still, despite that quibble, this is an excellent book, one I wholeheartedly recommend to all young animal lovers, as well as to all Brian Floca fans. show less

Lynne Cox was a long distance swimmer. In the ocean. When she was a teenager in the 1970s, she swam with a group of other teenagers to cross the Catalina Island Channel in California. They were the first teenagers to do so. It only fuelled her desire for bigger, longer, colder swims. She worked for 10 years (meanwhile doing other swims: English Bay, Cook Strait (between the North and South Islands of New Zealand), the Nile River (ugh!) in Egypt, and many more) to be able to cross the Bering show more Strait (from Alaska to the Soviet Union – this was during the Cold War, which is why it was so difficult to get permission). Ultimately, after all that, she swam in the Antarctic Ocean in 32 F water for a hour.

This was really good. I’m not much into sports or swimming, but it was so interesting to learn all the planning and different things they have to think about and arrange when they do such swims. And it was even somewhat suspenseful – the cold! She obviously lived through it all to write this memoir, but to read about what was going through her head (and going on with her body) while she swam in water that was in the 40s F (then later, 30s!). So interesting! show less

Richard Jones's illustrations are gorgeous, and a large reason I picked this book out for my niece's 3rd birthday book. They are fully digital but have a wonderful textural quality like watercolors or oil pastels, and many (if not most!) of the spreads in this book would be gorgeous as full-size wall art. The way he uses bits of coral-orange and pink in the underwater scenes is so good, and dynamic.

My niece is at the age where she loves anything about animals - especially sea creatures!, and show more my sister (a kindergarten teacher) always loves getting nonfiction books for the children, so this book seemed like a no brainer. The pictures tell the story as well as the text does, and the diversity of images and textures should give a pre-schooler plenty to get lost in. They certainly do for me! (Speaking of diversity - as a wheelchair user myself, I appreciate that one of the children in an illustration of the Two Oceans Aquarium is in a wheelchair.)

The text of the book is matter of fact and easy to read, switching between paragraphs of a few sentences and split phrases as the story and pacing require. I thought it got a little clunkier in the last few pages, but still easy enough to read out loud. There is some invention about Yoshi's life before she was rescued by the fisherman, but it's based on factual supposition about sea turtles and the waters she would have seen.

Yoshi, Sea Turtle Genius, is very nice and would be great for any nonfiction picture book collection about sea animals - with a bit of geography, too! And, of course, if you're a fan of picture books for the illustrations, it's a must-have. show less