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 will select books that share a theme important to the nation's heritage. For 2003-4, the theme is "courage" and features the following books:

Kindergarten to Grade 3

• The Cabin Faced West by Jean Fritz

• Anansi the Spider by Gerald McDermott

• Sylvester and the Magic Pebble by William Steig

Grades 4 to 6

• The Dream Keeper and Other Poems by Langston Hughes
  

• The Matchlock Gun by Walter D. Edmonds
  

• Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder
  

• My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George

Grades 7 to 8

• Johnny Tremain by Esther Forbes

• Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass by Frederick Douglass

• The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

Grades 9 to 12

• The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane

• Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison

• Profiles in Courage by John F. Kennedy

• Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain

• To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

In the fall of 2003, NEH invited applications from school and public libraries to participate in the first "We the People Bookshelf" program. NEH awarded copies of the fifteen books in the "We the People Bookshelf" to more than five hundred eligible libraries. In return for receiving a Bookshelf, libraries are organizing programs that highlight the theme of "courage" and encourage young readers to explore these works. NEH is undertaking this new program in collaboration with the American Library Association.

Chosen with the help of librarians and a blue-ribbon panel of historians and authorities on children's literature, the "We the People Bookshelf" encourages young people to read classic literature and explore the ideas and ideals of America. This year's blue-ribbon panel included:

• Carla D. Hayden, president, American Library Association and director, Enoch Pratt Free Library (Baltimore, Md.);

• Sybille Jagusch, chief, Children's Literature Center, Library of Congress;

• David Macaulay, author, illustrator, National Humanities Medalist;

• David McCullough, author, historian, 2003 Jefferson Lecturer in the Humanities;

• Robert V. Remini, professor, historian, 2003 Heroes of History Lecturer; and

• Morghan Transue, winner, 2003 NEH "Idea of America" Essay Contest.

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.