We the People Bookshelf on the Pursuit of Happiness
American Library Association
We The People
www.wethepeople.gov/bookshelf
A collection of fifteen classic hardcover books for young readers, all related to the Pursuit of Happiness theme.
“Happiness is the aim of life,” wrote Thomas Jefferson. But, what is happiness? Is it pleasure, wealth, or success? Goodness, peace, or justice? Friendship, love, or self-fulfillment? Does our right to pursue happiness mean we have a right to be happy? In this fourth We the People Bookshelf program, 2,000 libraries will receive a set of classic books related to the theme Pursuit of Happiness. The National Endowment for the Humanities is proud to offer this program in cooperation with the American Library Association.
“Americans believe that people have a natural right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The stories told in this year’s We the People Bookshelf
show how individuals throughout our history have sought to achieve that goal.”
Bruce Cole
Chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities
Online applications accepted September 5, 2006–January 31, 2007.
Go to www.wethepeople.gov/bookshelf for online application and guidelines.
Libraries will receive:
The Bookshelf—a collection of fifteen classic hardcover books for young readers, all related to the Pursuit of Happiness theme. In addition, libraries will receive four
of these books in Spanish translation, a bonus CD with traditional music referenced in the Little House series of Laura Ingalls Wilder, and supplementary materials
for programming, including bookplates, bookmarks, and posters. NEH will award a Pursuit of Happiness Bookshelf to 2,000 school (K-12) and public libraries in spring 2007.
Who can apply?
Any U.S. public library or K-12 school library in the United States and its territories. School libraries include public, private, parochial, and charter schools. Libraries with
collections that circulate to the general public and offer reading-based programs for the general public are eligible to apply. A library system or school district may apply
on behalf of its member schools or branches.
Individuals and organizations other than libraries are not eligible to receive the Bookshelf. Schools and libraries
operated by federal entities, such as the Department of Defense, are not eligible to receive the Bookshelf from NEH. Go to www.wethepeople.gov/bookshelf for guidelines & eligibility requirements.
Requirements:
Participating libraries must plan programs that introduce the Pursuit of Happiness theme and books to the library’s students, young patrons, or to intergenerational audiences.
Programs should be scheduled between May 1, 2007, and May 31, 2008. Ideas for programming can be found at www.ala.org/wethepeople.
School, library, and community partnerships:
NEH encourages programs in which the Bookshelf is part of a larger effort to engage young people and other members of the community in reflection on the Pursuit
of Happiness theme. Libraries may collaborate with other (non-library) organizations to develop local history displays, intergenerational story hours, living history presentations,
or public events focused on the Pursuit of Happiness and its significance in American history and culture. Recipients of Bookshelves must be K-12 school libraries,
branches of public libraries, or other libraries with collections that circulate to the general public and offer programs for the general public.
The Pursuit of Happiness Bookshelf includes the following titles:
Grades K-3
Aesop’s Fables
by Aesop
A lazy grasshopper, a greedy mouse, and a plodding tortoise learn that wise and prudent actions lead to happiness and a good life, in this classically illustrated edition.
Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening
by Robert Frost
A poet rejoices in the quiet solitude of nature, while honoring his ties to people and other places. Beautiful illustrations bring the poem to life.
Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel*
by Virginia Lee Burton
In this classic tale of loyalty and persistence, a man and his steam shovel find their place in a changing world.
Grades 4-6
Tuck Everlasting*
by Natalie Babbitt
Winnie Foster can choose her fate: live, grow up, and finally leave the world, or stay in it forever, young and unchanging.
The Great Migration
by Jacob Lawrence
Jacob Lawrence’s famous series of paintings brings to life the migration of African Americans from South to North in pursuit of a better life.
These Happy Golden Years
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
The winters are cold, independence is frightening, and work is hard. Still, family, friends, songs, and new love make for a good life on the prairie.
Journal of Wong Ming-Chung**
by Laurence Yep
A young Chinese immigrant and his uncle learn that the “Golden Mountain” is just a dream; but there may be other ways to prosper and forge a new life in California.
Grades 7-8
A Wrinkle in Time
by Madeleine L’Engle
Meg, Charles Wallace, and Calvin enter a fantastic world in search of a missing scientist, stretching the fabric of time and space in a journey of self-discovery.
Esperanza Rising*
by Pam Muñoz Ryan
Calamity befalls the Ortega family in Mexico, and their new life in California is far from easy. Esperanza learns what it means never to be afraid to start again.
Carry On, Mr. Bowditch
by Jean Lee Latham
Young Nat Bowditch pursues his unquenchable thirst for knowledge, gains mastery of navigation and astronomy, and makes his mark on the world.
Grades 9-12
Kindred
by Octavia Butler
Yanked back in time to the antebellum South, Dana shares in the powers and the perils lived daily by her African American and white ancestors.
O Pioneers!*
by Willa Cather
On the beautiful, but harsh and unforgiving Nebraska prairie, an immigrant woman stakes her life and family’s future on the land.
The Great Gatsby
by F. Scott Fitzgerald
In this story of romance and intrigue set in 1920s New York, Jay Gatsby is a wealthy, powerful, and successful man. Has he achieved happiness?
Leaves of Grass
by Walt Whitman
Praising nature, democracy and the human spirit, one of our nation’s greatest poets invites us to hear America singing.
Common Sense
by Thomas Paine
From this rousing pamphlet that helped ignite patriotic passion in 1776, we can glimpse what the Pursuit of Happiness meant to the Revolutionary generation.
Bonus
Happy Land: Musical Tributes to Laura Ingalls Wilder
Sing along with the Ingalls family. This CD features traditional performances of eighteen songs and tunes referenced in the Little House series.
* Included in English and in Spanish translation
**Donated by Scholastic, Inc.
www.wethepeople.gov/bookshelf
www.ala.org/wethepeople
Visit www.neh.gov or call 800-NEH-1121 (TDD 866-2930) to receive information on this and other NEH projects and programs.