As part of its We the People initiative, NEH has established the We the People Bookshelf to highlight a short list of classic books for young readers at different grade levels. Each year, NEH selects books that share a theme important to the nation's heritage. Last year, the Bookshelf's inaugural year, the theme was "Courage."

"Freedom" is the new theme for 2004-5. Lynne Cheney and NEH Chairman Bruce Cole announced the theme and the book titles on June 8, 2004, to a group of local school children at Freedom Place in Arlington, Virginia.

The recommended books on the theme of "Freedom" are as follows:

Kindergarten to Grade 3

• Sam the Minuteman by Nathaniel Benchley
• The Girl Who Loved Wild Horses by Paul Goble
• Paul Revere's Ride by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
• The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter

Grades 4 to 6

• The House of Dies Drear by Virginia Hamilton
• Ben and Me by Robert Lawson
• To Be a Slave by Julius Lester
• The Complete Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis

Grades 7 to 8

• Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
• Across Five Aprils by Irene Hunt
• The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare

Grades 9 to 12

• Miracle at Philadelphia by Catherine Drinker Bowen
• My Antonia by Willa Cather
• Animal Farm and 1984 by George Orwell
• One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich by Alexander Solzhenitsyn

NEH is now accepting applications from school and public libraries to participate in the We the People Bookshelf program. Over the next year, NEH will award copies of the fifteen books in the We the People Bookshelf to a total of 1,000 eligible libraries. In return for receiving a Bookshelf, libraries will organize programs that highlight the theme of "freedom" and encourage young readers to explore these works. NEH is conducting this program in collaboration with the American Library Association.

Chosen in collaboration with the American Library Association, the We the People Bookshelf will encourage young people to read classic literature and explore the ideas and ideals of America.

Many of the titles in this year's We the People Bookshelf highlight important chapters in American history; others are expressions of universal themes that are also integral parts of American culture. These books represent the rich texture of the American heritage, a tradition that has incorporated ideas and texts from around the world. We recognize that it is a challenging list in many respects, but we want to involve parents, teachers, librarians, mentors, and others in talking to children about these books.

All the books were selected from Summertime Favorites, a list of recommended readings that represents NEH's long-standing effort to highlight classic literature for young people from kindergarten through high school.