**Sample Press Release**

**REP. JOHN DOE ANNOUNCES *WE THE PEOPLE\
*BOOKSHELF AWARD TO \[**[Insert Name]{.underline}**\] LIBRARY**

**\
*"Created Equal" Features 17 Classic Books That Will Support Community
Programs***

(Month XX, 2008) -- Rep. John Doe today announced an award of 17 classic
books on the theme of "Created Equal" to \[insert name of local
library\], made possible through the National Endowment for the
Humanities'(NEH) *We the People* Bookshelf program. The Bookshelf
includes Spanish translations to accompany four of the selected titles.

"Literature has the ability to convey our nation's history in a way
children of all ages can appreciate and understand," said Rep. Doe.
"'Created Equal' encourages students to explore one of America's
greatest founding principles, and the books featured in this collection
both address the concept of equality and recount the periods of our
history which tested the declaration that 'all men are created equal.'"

"The *We the People* Bookshelf introduces young readers to important
literature and promotes the understanding of vital ideas in our nation's
history," said NEH Chairman Bruce Cole. "Through the power of these
stories millions of young readers will have the opportunity to examine
the central tenet of our American identity: that all human beings 'are
created equal.'"

The *We the People* Bookshelf program will distribute 3000 sets of books
to city, town, and neighborhood libraries as well as libraries in
public, private, and charter schools and home school consortia in all 50
states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin
Islands. Each library will receive a set of the 17 books along with
posters, bookmarks, and other promotional materials from NEH through the
American Library Association (ALA), which is working in partnership with
the Endowment. As part of the award, libraries are organizing programs
or events to raise awareness of these classic books and engage young
readers.

The books selected for the "Created Equal" Bookshelf include several on
Abraham Lincoln to facilitate programming for the Abraham Lincoln
Bicentennial over the next year. These include a "History in a Box"
collection of resource materials on Lincoln developed by the Gilder
Lehrman Institute of American history.

The *We the People* \"Created Equal\" Bookshelf contains the following
books:

[**Kindergarten to Grade 3**]{.underline}

-   *The Ugly Duckling* by Hans Christian Andersen

-   *The Gettysburg Address* by Abraham Lincoln, illustrated by Michael
    McCurdy

-   *Pink and Say* by Patricia Polacco

-   *Pink y Say* by Patricia Polacco (translated by Alejandra López
    Varela)

**[Grades 4 to 6]{.underline}**

-   *Elijah of Buxton* by Christopher Paul Curtis

-   *Give Me Liberty! The Story of the Declaration of Independence* by
    Russell Freedman

-   *Lincoln: A Photobiography* by Russell Freedman

-   *Many Thousand Gone: African Americans from Slavery to Freedom* by
    Virginia Hamilton

-   *Lyddie* by Katherine Paterson

-   *Lyddie* by Katherine Paterson (translated by Rosa Benavides)

**[Grades 7 to 8]{.underline}**

-   *Saturnalia* by Paul Fleishman

-   *Freedom Walkers: The Story of the Montgomery Bus Boycott* by
    Russell Freedman

-   *Abraham Lincoln the Writer: A Treasury of His Greatest Speeches And
    Letters* edited by Harold Holzer

-   *Breaking Through* by Francisco Jiménez

-   *Senderos Fronterizos* by Francisco Jiménez (translated by Francisco
    Jiménez)

**[Grades 9 to 12]{.underline}**

-   *Abigail Adams: Witness to a Revolution* by Natalie S. Bober

-   *That All People May Be One People, Send Rain to Wash the Face of
    the Earth* by Nez Perce Chief Joseph

-   *Flowers for Algernon* by Daniel Keyes

-   *Flores para Algernon* by Daniel Keyes (translated by Paz Barroso)

-   *Lincoln's Virtues: An Ethical Biography* by William Lee Miller

-   *Amistad: A Novel* by David Pesci

The bookshelf program is part of the NEH's *We the People* program,
which supports projects that strengthen the teaching, study, and
understanding of American history and culture.

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, museum exhibitions, and programs in
libraries and other community places. Additional information about the
National Endowment for the Humanities, its grant programs, and the We
the People Bookshelf is available on the Internet at www.neh.gov.