Ancient Mounds of Watson Brake

Gr 3—5—Reca Jones is a real person, and this story is hung on the fictional framework of her grandchildren's visit to Watson Brake, LA. Moore recounts the woman's personal history with this prehistoric oval of man-built mounds strung together with raised ridges. An amateur archaeologist, Jones was the first to recognize these early earthworks for what they were, a decision approved relatively recently by American archaeological experts. The artwork is colorful but the people are awkwardly rendered as Anderson depicts Jones showing her grandchildren artifacts found at the site and speculates on the lives and technologies of those who created the mounds. There is no map to pinpoint the Brake's location, and no photos of the actual site (despite a heavy overgrowth of vegetation, there are photos to be found on the Internet). Also sorely lacking is a diagram to allow clear visualization of this complex that predates the more spectacular pyramids of Egypt. An author's note gives additional information on Jones and the Brake, but the lack of maps, photos and diagrams, or websites leaves this interesting topic more useful to history classes in Louisiana than to the broader audience it might have commanded.—Patricia Manning, formerly at Eastchester Public Library, NY creamy