(Washington, DC, March 28, 2006) — Delegate to Congress Donna M. Christensen, today announced an award of 15 classic books on the theme of “Becoming American” to several local school libraries in St. Thomas and one on St. John as well as the Enid Baa Library, made possible through the National Endowment for the Humanities’(NEH) We the People Bookshelf program.

The school’s in the Virgin Islands that will be receiving these books are Addelita Cancryn Jr. High, Bertha C. Boschulte, Leonard Dober Elementary, Ivanna Eudora Kean High School, Jane E Tuitt, Kirwan Terrace, Lockhart Elementary, Charlotte Amalie High School and on St. John the Julius Sprauve School.

"Even in a digital age, the local library continues to be a friendly place for children and families to gather and share the ideals that united us," said NEH Chairman Bruce Cole. "This year’s We the People Bookshelf gives readers young and old an opportunity to reflect on the diverse stories of the great American melting pot, as past themes have provided to opportunity to reflect on the great American virtues of freedom and courage.”

The We the People Bookshelf program will distribute two thousand sets of books to neighborhood and public school libraries, as well as private schools, charter schools, tribal schools, and military schools in all 50 states. Each library will receive a set of the 15 books, 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 2005-2006 program is made possible with generous support from the McCormick Tribune Foundation

The We the People Bookshelf on "Becoming American" contains the following books: 

Kindergarten to Grade 3

• The Lotus Seed by Sherry Garland
• Watch the Stars Come Out by Riki Levinson
• Grandfather's Journey by Allen Say

Grades 4 to 6

• Immigrant Kids by Russell Freedman
• The People Could Fly: The Picture Book by Virginia Hamilton
• Rip Van Winkle by Washington Irving
• In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson by Bette Bao Lord

Grades 7 to 8

• Rifles for Watie by Harold Keith
• The Glory Field by Walter Dean Myers
• A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
• Dragonwings by Laurence Yep

Grades 9 to 12

• Death Comes for the Archbishop by Willa Cather
• Barrio Boy by Ernesto Galarza
• Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin, edited by Louis P. Masur
• Giants in the Earth: A Saga of the Prairie by Ole Edvart Rølvaag

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