Kirk Cameron shares story time at Scarsdale Public Library in New York
Fox News Digital was on hand on Friday, Dec. 30, 2022, as actor-writer Kirk Cameron discussed his new children's book, "As You Grow," with a capacity crowd of families and children at the Scarsdale Public Library in Scarsdale, New York.
FIRST ON FOX: Speaking exclusively to Fox News Digital over the weekend, actor-writer Kirk Cameron announced that he'll be traveling to a string of public libraries to take his messages of faith, freedom, family and love of country to millions of Americans in major cities — people who are "crying out," he said, "for someone to push back" against today's woke culture.
"I'm hitting the road," Cameron told Fox News Digital.
"I'm going out" to speak to Americans in major cities, he said, particularly at some of the public libraries that either denied his earlier requests to hold story hours at their facilities or never responded to his book publisher's requests to hold book-based events there.
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Cameron's new book, "As You Grow," is an illustrated children's book that shares the story of an oak tree throughout its seasons of life.
The story encourages children to develop and share the virtues of patience, joy, kindness, compassion, self-control and other biblical values.
The children's book "As You Grow" by Kirk Cameron (Brave Books) tells the tale of an acorn that blossoms into a mighty oak tree and dispenses wisdom to the animals that live within the shelter of its branches. (Kerry J. Byrne/Fox News Digital)
He stressed that at his recent appearances at the Indianapolis Public Library in Indianapolis, Indiana, and at the Scarsdale Public Library in Scarsdale, New York, scores of people came up to him and thanked him for sharing his Christian values and beliefs.
"So now I'm going to Los Angeles, San Francisco, Portland, Seattle, Denver, Chicago, Detroit, Atlanta" and other cities, Cameron said, "where people are crying out for someone to push back and stand up and bring the kinds of values that made this country free and led to its blessings."
Added Cameron, "When those 50 woke libraries initially denied us the ability to come and do a story hour and said that their communities weren't interested in this kind of messaging, I didn't believe them."
Then, "when we pushed back on two of them, they opened up," he said. "And we turned out and were greeted by thousands of people in Indianapolis and Scarsdale."
Kirk Cameron was greeted by an enthusiastic overflow crowd at Scarsdale Public Library in Scarsdale, New York, on Friday, Dec. 30, 2022, for a reading of his children's book, "As You Grow." He spoke to two different groups of people during the story hour; many others who showed up to hear him were unable to get into the room. (Kerry J. Byrne/Fox News Digital)
He went on, "The message I kept hearing was, ‘Thank you for coming to our city. People have passed us by and written us off thinking that we want this woke mafia to teach these values to our children — and it's not true. We love what you're bringing, and we're so thankful that you're here.'"
In addition to that, said Cameron, "we've been flooded with emails and comments on social media with people pleading with us to come to their libraries."
"We don't want this woke garbage. We want the right kinds of values that lead to our children, our families and our communities flourishing."
And so, he said, "I'm hitting the road — and I'm going."
Cameron said that his tour of public libraries will likely take several months — and that his family, including his parents and his sister, Candace Cameron Bure, stand behind him in his efforts to share a belief in traditional values across the country.
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The planning for his visit to a public library in Los Angeles is currently in the works. It will take place on Saturday, January 14, he said.
‘Let their voices be heard’
"We're jumping on this right away," said Cameron about his new public library tour, "because people are saying they want to be part of something that is letting others know, 'We don't want this woke garbage. We want the right kinds of values that lead to our children, our families and our communities flourishing."
Kirk Cameron holds a copy of "As You Grow." He and his publisher are now planning a number of public library story-hour events across the country. (Brad Schwartzrock/iStock)
Cameron and his publisher, Brave Books, noted that both the Indianapolis and Scarsdale public libraries previously held "drag queen story hours" at their facilities — events that were widely publicized on the libraries' websites and elsewhere.
"Many people are looking for some way to be represented," said Cameron. "They're looking for some way to let their voices be heard and show what they stand for."
"Concerned Americans realize that we are in a battle for the hearts and minds of our children."
And "they see this opportunity as an opportunity to be part of something that they believe could turn the country around."
At the end of the day, he added, "there are millions of Christians, parents, patriots and concerned Americans who realize that we are in a battle for the hearts and minds of our children."
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"And we are going to take them back one story hour at a time — if that's what it takes."
Cameron said that he and his publisher understand how to work with America's public libraries to secure story book reading times.
"We're responding to the cries of the parents and grandparents, and even public school teachers and librarians," he said, "who are saying, ‘Please! We feel gagged, we feel bullied and silenced by the unions and the other groups who don’t represent the values and desires of the people.'"
And "I think if you just look at the numbers of people who turned out for what we brought, versus what other groups brought, I think that speaks for itself," he said.
"There were thousands of people," he emphasized, even as the Indianapolis Public Library, for one, stated on its Twitter account that the numbers of people who attended the Cameron even there on Thurs, Dec. 29, were far less than that.
"That's what you do," said Cameron, regarding that comment, "when things aren't tilting in your favor."
"When you send men in women's lingerie and clown makeup and wigs to read sexualized stories to [young children], it seems that's the line where moms and dads and grandparents are saying, ‘No more.’"
He also noted, "But clearly there were thousands of people. We have so many comments and testimonials from people who were actually at the events who counted the people there — and some who were saying that there were more than 2,500 people, that it was more like 3,000 or more" in at the Indianapolis library, he said.
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He added about the library events he's holding, "This is unique. And one of the things I've learned through this is that there are so many people who are very busy, raising their families, going to work. They love this country and they see the values in this country deteriorating and the politics getting corrupted."
He said, "And I've wondered, Well, where is the line when people will finally say, ‘Enough. No more'? And it seems like that line is drawn very clearly at the hearts and minds of their children, especially the little ones," said Cameron.
Actor-writer Kirk Cameron is pictured with his wife, Chelsea (center), and their six children. "I'm going to lead the charge with story hour," he told Fox News Digital. (Brad Schwartzrock)
"There's a lot of people who don't show up at the polls at vote. There's a lot of people who will send their kids to public schools even though they know those schools are not representing their values."
But "when you come for their little ones at story hour," said Cameron, "and you send men in women's lingerie and clown makeup and wigs to read sexualized stories to them — it seems that's the line where moms and dads and grandparents are saying, ‘No more.’"
"A grandmother in tears" came up to him and said she's concerned about what's happening to her country, Cameron said.
He added, "And so, if that's where it has to be — then that's where we fight," he said.
And "I'm going to lead the charge with story hour," he said.
Cameron also said, "Public perception is often not reality. And I know that from Hollywood, the land of make believe — where perception is not reality. And the perception in the country is that everybody's for the transgender agenda, that everybody is progressive in their values and that they want to support anti-God, anti-American ideologies. And that's not reality," he said.
"And when I went to the libraries, I saw the reality. And that is, thousands of moms and dads, concerned citizens, people of faith and character, wanting to sing, ‘God Bless America' in the middle of the public library."
He said that "a grandmother in tears" came up to him and said she's concerned about what's happening to her country.
She told me, "I have 18 grandchildren. I see what's happening. What can I do to protect them and help them and stop this woke [culture] from capturing their hearts and minds?'"
"There are a lot of libraries in America — around 9,000 of them — and we're going to the ones that seem to be the most in need."
He said he saw that over and over again.
Cameron said that "as much as I love the book I wrote and all that Brave Books is doing with this book and other books, I didn't expect this to awaken such a sleeping giant of parents and grandparents who want to join this army of compassion to protect our children."
Kirk Cameron in a recent photo, when he was able to confirm his then-upcoming appearances at two public libraries that had previously indicated they weren't interested in hosting him at their facilities. After he and his publisher persisted, he was able to hold events there. (Kirk Cameron/Brave Books)
He noted that Brave Books has put out dozens of books that all take place on Freedom Island — "and Freedom Island represents the United States of America," said Cameron.
"That's what we are — an island of freedom in the world. We are the place where freedom lives. We're surrounded by other places that don't have the freedoms we have."
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Said Cameron, "And I feel like that's what we're doing. We're leading a charge on the front lines of children's story hour to save ‘Freedom Island.’ So when people read these stories each month [from the Brave Books subscription series] — on honesty, on exposing corruption, on gender, on biblical wisdom and more — this gives families a steady stream of resources to be able to teach their children how to keep Freedom Island free."
Cameron added, "There are a lot of libraries in America — around 9,000 — and we're going to the ones that seem to be the most in need."
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A Brave Books spokesperson confirmed on Sunday, "In the next few months, we're going to be traveling and trying to reach as many libraries as possible. We're all in on this."
Trent Talbot, CEO of Brave Books in Houston, Texas, told Fox News Digital, "Kirk Cameron and Brave Book are fighting to ensure that America will have a generation that is grounded in truth and strong morals — so that they are prepared for the fight that is ahead of them."
