‘See You at the Library’ Story Hour Lands at Library of Congress

Kirk Cameron, who first gained fame as a teen actor on TV’s”Growing Pains,” is thankful to the Trump administration’s Center for Faith at the Department of Education for the opportunity to bring the Brave Books’ “See You at the Library” event—a national celebration of faith designed to ignite wonder, one story at a time—to the Library of Congress on Aug. 16 at 6 p.m. ET.

“This is a huge cultural shift in values and it’s what happens when you don’t back down,” said Cameron in a recent interview with The Epoch Times about the third annual “grassroots-led—moms, dads, grandparents, families” “See You at the Library” story hour getting its big moment at the largest library in the world.

The Library of Congress’s invitation-only story hour will serve as a celebration for the nationwide “See You at the Library” initiative, with simultaneous events planned at libraries all across America. Families from coast to coast will gather in libraries for what organizers call a powerful celebration of imagination, inspiration, and timeless values. Led by parents, pastors, educators, and community leaders, the initiative invites communities to rediscover the wonder of storytime, a time-honored tradition that nurtures curiosity, character, and connection.

“It means a great deal to me,” said Cameron about the story hour’s Library of Congress arrival. “Brave Books and I are not just begging for a seat at the cultural table. We’re building a new one, and the Trump administration just pulled up a chair. When faith and freedom are under attack, you don’t retreat; you rally. And thousands and thousands of Americans are joining us.”

What Cameron and ‘Duck Dynasty’s’ Missy Robertson Will Read

Cameron, who is also putting his own stamp on children’s programming with the new series “Iggy and Mr. Kirk” inspired by a particular Brave book whose themes include forgiveness, teamwork, overcoming your fears, and trusting your parents, will read the second book in his Brave Books’ children’s book series, “Pride Comes Before the Fall” at the Library of Congress story hour. “Last year, we had 360 story hours in public libraries across 50 states and tens of thousands of participants,” said Cameron.

“This year, we’re off to a great start. We’re growing. The momentum is building. And our hope is to have 500 public library story hours with 50,000 people across all 50 states. We’re well on our way there right now.”

Joining Cameron at the Library of Congress event on Aug. 16 will be “Duck Dynasty” family member Missy Robertson. The reality TV star, mother, grandmother, and Brave Books’ author will also be reading one of her children’s books, “Because You’re My Family, ” which teaches kids about the importance of family and unconditional love.

Cameron, a father of six and grandfather of one, is enthusiastic about encouraging families to find a story hour at their own neighborhood library or to start their own.

“Be a part of something much bigger than just reading books,” Cameron said. “It’s being a part of an opportunity to engage the culture in the public square and shape the cultural narrative and the future for our children.”

Storytime at Cameron’s House

The teenage star of the television sitcom “Growing Pains” (1985–1992), now 54, Cameron fondly remembered and shared with The Epoch Times book that he “really loved” and that “left a big impression” on him as a child—“The Mouse and the Motorcycle” by Beverly Cleary—and a couple favorites he read to his now grown children.

”There was one called ‘All the Colors of the Earth’ by Sheila Hamanaka, and that was a book all about kids with different skin colors,” said Cameron, who married actress Chelsea Noble in 1991. She played his “Growing Pains” character Mike Seaver’s girlfriend, and together they have four adopted and two biological children.

“And that was important for us because as a family, we were very diverse—still are. We have kids with dark brown skin, light brown skin, and very bright white skin. So all the different colors of the earth are represented in our family. And they were explained in this beautiful book by Sheila Hamanaka. Other books that we love were “The Giving Tree [Shel Silverstein].” And of course, we read the Bible to our kids all the time, which has the best stories with the best messages.”

It’s fitting then that Cameron’s reading choice—“Pride Comes Before the Fall”—at the Library of Congress event refers to a proverb in the holy scriptures of the Bible.

“It’s a book all about humility,” said Cameron. “This is a book that exalts the virtue of putting others before yourself, not thinking too highly of yourself. to the misdirected celebration of a vice called pride. We don’t want prideful people. No one wants a prideful spouse. Nobody likes working for a prideful boss, or wanting to raise prideful children. We want humble people who are all about compassion and self-sacrifice, not self-exaltation. And that’s what my book “Pride Comes Before the Fall” is all about—celebrating humility.”

He says anyone wanting to host their own “See You at the Library” story hour at their public library or find one that’s already established can visit seeyouatthelibrary.com.

“We’re encouraging everybody to be a part of it,” said Cameron. “Get off the defense, get on the offense. Let’s not be whiners, let’s be winners. Instead of complaining, let’s start creating the culture that we want for our kids.”