We the People Bookshelf Fact Sheet

FACT SHEET                                                                                  Contact:Angela Thullen

(312) 280-5286         athullen@ala.org

We the People Bookshelf Project for Libraries

The We the People Bookshelf project for libraries is a grant initiative of the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) that provides classic children’s literature to school and public libraries. Each year, NEH identifies a theme important to the nation's heritage and selects books that embody that theme to build the We the People Bookshelf.  In 2009, 4,000 school and public libraries in all 50 U.S. states were selected from a pool of more than 7,000 applicants to receive We the People Bookshelf grants.

Grant Benefits

Selected libraries received free hardcover editions of 17 classic books on the theme of “Picturing America.”  The awards are part of the National Endowment for the Humanities We the People initiative, which supports projects that strengthen the teaching, study and understanding of American history and culture. 

Libraries selected to receive the We the People Bookshelf grants will organize programs or events to raise awareness of the classic literature and engage young readers. 

The Bookshelf Collection

The We the People Bookshelf on “Picturing America” includes the following books:

• Kindergarten to Grade 3: “Walt Whitman: Words for America” by Barbara Kerley; “Harvesting Hope: The Story of Cesar Chavez” by Kathleen Krull; “Cosechando esperenza: La historia de César Chávaz” by Kathleen Krull (translated by Alma Flor Ada and F. Isabel Campoy);”The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow; “Sweet Music in Harlem” by Debbie Taylor
• Grades 4 to 6: “The Birchbark House” by Louise Erdrich; “American Tall Tales” by Mary Pope Osborne; “On the Wings of Heroes” by Richard Peck; “Forty Acres and Maybe a Mule” by Harriette Gillem Robinet; “The Captain’s Dog: My Journey with the Lewis and Clark Tribe” by Roland Smith
• Grades 7 to 8: “The Life and Death of Crazy Horse” by Russell Freedman; “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” by Washington Irving; “La leyanda de Sleepy Hollow” by Washington Irving (translated by Manual Broncano); “Across America on an Emigrant Train” by Jim Murphy; “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer” by Mark Twain
• Grades 9 to 12: “Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation” by Joseph J. Ellis; “Restless Spirit: The Life and Work of Dorothea Lange” by Elizabeth Partridge; “Travels with Charley in Search of America” by John Steinbeck; “Viajes Con Charley – En Busca de América” by John Steinbeck (translated by José Manuel Alvarez Flórez); “Democracy in America” by Alexis de Tocqueville
• Bonus: “Our White House: Looking In, Looking Out” by The National Children’s Book and Literary Alliance; “1776: The Illustrated Edition” by David McCullough

Program Leadership

The We the People Bookshelf is presented by the National Endowment for the Humanities in cooperation with the American Library Association. 

Created in 1965 as an independent federal agency, the National Endowment for the Humanities supports learning in history, literature, philosophy, and other areas of the humanities.  NEH grants enrich classroom learning, create and preserve knowledge, and bring ideas to life through public television, radio, new technologies exhibitions, and programs in libraries, museums, and other community places.

Founded in 1876, ALA is the oldest and largest library association in the world with more than 65,000 members, representing all types of libraries and librarians, as well as trustees, publishers, and other library supporters.  The mission of the ALA Public Programs Office is to foster cultural programming as an integral part of library service in all types of libraries.

Participating Libraries

To view a list of the 4,000 participating libraries or for more information about the We the People Bookshelf project, please visit http://publicprograms.ala.org/bookshelf. 

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