We the People Bookshelf--Picturing America
"The We the People.Picturing America Bookshelf is the literary complement of National Endowment for the Humanities' Picturing America visual arts project. Instead of paint, marble, silver, or glass, words are the media used to portray significant themes in American history and culture."
Books selected for the "Picturing America" Bookshelf are:
Grades K to 3
Walt Whitman: Words for America by Barbara Kerley
A biography of the American poet whose compassion led him to nurse soldiers during the Civil War, to give voice to the nation's grief at Lincoln's assassination, and to capture the true American spirit in verse.
Harvesting Hope: The Story of Cesar Chavez by Kathleen Krull
A biography of Cesar Chavez, from age ten when he and his family lived happily on their Arizona ranch, to age thirty-eight when he led a peaceful protest against California migrant workers' miserable working conditions.
The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
The famous narrative poem recreating Paul Revere's midnight ride in 1775 to warn the people of the Boston countryside that the British were coming.
Sweet Music in Harlem by Debbie Taylor
C.J., who aspires to be as great a jazz musician as his uncle, searches for Uncle Click's hat in preparation for an important photograph and inadvertently gathers some of the greatest musicians of 1950s Harlem to join in on the picture.
Grades 4 to 6
The Birchbark House by Louise Erdrich
Omakayas, a seven-year-old Native American girl of the Ojibwa tribe, lives through the joys of summer and the perils of winter on an island in Lake Superior in 1847.
American Tall Tales by Mary Pope Osborne
A collection of tall tales about such American folk heroes as Sally Ann Thunder Ann Whirlwind, Pecos Bill, John Henry, and Paul Bunyan.
On the Wings of Heroes by Richard Peck
A boy in Illinois remembers the homefront years of World War II, especially his two heroes--his brother in the Air Force and his father, who fought in the previous war.
Forty Acres and Maybe a Mule by Harriette Gillem Robinet
Born with a withered leg and hand, Pascal, who is about twelve years old, joins other former slaves in a search for a farm and the freedom which it promises.
The Captain's Dog: My Journey with the Lewis and Clark Tribe by Roland Smith
Captain Meriwether Lewis's dog Seaman describes his experiences as he accompanies his master on the Lewis and Clark Expedition to explore the uncharted western wilderness.
Grades 7 to 8
The Life and Death of Crazy Horse by Russell Freedman
A biography of the Oglala leader who relentlessly resisted the white man's attempt to take over Indian lands.
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving Illustrations by Arthur Rackham accompany this retelling of Irving's classic tale of a headless horseman.
Across America on an Emigrant Train by Jim Murphy
Combines an account of Robert Louis Stevenson's experiences as he traveled from New York to California by train in 1879 and a description of the building and operation of railroads in nineteenth-century America.
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain
The adventure of a boy growing up in a nineteenth-century Mississippi River town as he plays hooky on an island, witnesses a crime, hunts for the pirates' treasure, and becomes lost in a cave.
Grades 9 to 12
Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation by Joseph J. Ellis
An analysis of the intertwined careers of the founders of the American republic documents the lives of John Adams, Aaron Burr, Benjamin Franklin, Alexander Hamilton, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and George Washington.
Restless Spirit: The Life and Work of Dorothea Lange by Elizabeth Partridge
A biography of Dorothea Lange, whose photographs of migrant workers, Japanese American internees, and rural poverty helped bring about important social reforms.
Travels with Charley: in Search of America by John Steinbeck
The chronicle of Steinbeck's journey across America with his dog Charley.
Democracy in America by Alexis de Tocqueville
Tocqueville vividly describes the unprecedented social equality he found in America and explores its implications for European society in the emerging modern era.
Bonus books for readers of all ages:
Our White House: Looking In, Looking Out by The National Children's Book and Literacy Alliance
Collection of essays, personal accounts, historical fiction, and poetry melds with an equally stunning array of original art to offer a multifaceted look at America's history through the prism of the White House.
1776: The Illustrated Edition by David McCullough
A history of the American Revolution that draws on personal correspondence and period diaries also features thirty-five removable facsimiles of historical documents, including Washington's commissions as commander-in-chief.
The following titles are available in both English and Spanish language books:
. Harvesting Hope: The Story of Cesar Chavez by Kathleen Krull
. The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving
. Travels with Charley: in Search of America by John Steinbeck
This page created 4-19-2010.