REP. JIM COSTA ANNOUNCES WE THE PEOPLE BOOKSHELF AWARD TO LIBRARY;

15Classic Books on "Becoming American" Will Support Community Programs

BAKERSFIELD, CA - Congressman Jim Costa (D-Fresno) announced todaythat 15 classic books on the theme of "Becoming American" has been awarded toKern County Library Lamont Branch. Thisaward was made possible through the National Endowment for the Humanities' (NEH)We the People Bookshelfprogram.

"The Lamont Library will not only receive a set of 15books but will also be given posters and bookmarks honoring the ‘BecomingAmerican' theme," said Costa. Thesematerials will come from the American Library Association, an organization thatis working in partnership with the Endowment. The bookshelf program is part of the NEH's We the Peopleinitiative, which supports projects that strengthen the teaching, study andunderstanding of American history and culture.

"These books emphasize the immigrant character of thenation and will give the community an opportunity to explore America'sdiverse population," explained Costa. "The United Statesis a nation of immigrants. Nearly everyfamily in this country has an immigration story in their ancestral, or morerecent, past so it is not surprising that American literature reflects this andasks the question of what it is to become an American. This program provides a great opportunity forthe community to discuss American history and literature as well as encouragingfamilies to research their own immigrant past."

The We the People Bookshelf on "Becoming American" contains thefollowing 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