 | Lady Of The Lines: How Maria Reiche Saved The Nazca Lines By Sweeping The Desert Author: MacColl, Michaela | |
| Price: $14.24 | ||
Summary:
When scientist and explorer Maria Reiche visited Peru’s Nazca Lines in 1941, she was immediately captivated by the larger-than-life animal carvings. But what were they, and why were they there? This STEAM nonfiction picture book for young readers reveals the story behind one of the greatest indigenous artworks in the Americas, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Reviews:
Kirkus Reviews (02/15/25)
School Library Journal (01/01/25)
Booklist (+) (12/01/25)
Full Text Reviews:
Booklist - 03/01/2025 *Starred Review* A 100-foot-long spider, a 210-foot-long killer whale, a 325-foot-long hummingbird: these are among the more than 700 gargantuan Nazca geoglyphs (designs made by carving lines in the desert sand thousands of years ago), many of which were uncovered by a determined young woman wearing a pith helmet and wielding a broom in the 1940s Peruvian desert. This picture-book biography of German mathematician, archaeologist, and preservationist Maria Reiche emphasizes both the continuing mystery of who created these enormous sand etchings and the sheer grit of the woman who revealed them. The historical accident of Maria visiting Peru soon after some WWII pilots spotted traces of enormous animals from the air led her to try to fully excavate what the sand had buried. This book shows the hardships she faced (scorching sun, punishing thirst, and ridicule) and the lengths she went to in her quest—going so far, for instance, as to strap herself to a helicopter’s landing skids to get an aerial view of the lines. The illustrations, done in acrylic gouache, use multicolored geometric shapes to highlight the geoglyphs, wonderfully capturing their variety and scale. Readers will be left in awe of the geoglyphs themselves and the persistence of the woman who discovered and protected them. A terrific STEM read. - Copyright 2025 Booklist.
