See You at the Library

Call your local, public library and ask to reserve a meeting room to host a story hour on August 5th. 

Note: You are not asking the library to sponsor the event, you just want to host your own story hour. 

The library should send you an email once your reservation is confirmed.

Complete our host application so we can verify you as a host for the See You at the Library event. 

Once a confirmed host, you will be emailed with next steps.

Promote your event on social media, local community groups etc. See the "Resources" page for graphics to help you promote your event!

You've made it to the finish line! On August 5th, be ready to have a great day & host your BRAVE story hour. 

If you need additional help contact us at: seeyouatthelibrary@brave.us

Hosts can register up until the event on August 5th, but in order to receive full host benefits you must be registered by July 28th. We understand as August 5th nears, hosts may not have much time to plan or promote their story hour; however, no story hour is too small! Whether you include all the bells and whistles a story hour can handle or whether it's just you sitting on the carpet reading a book to children, you will make an impact by being a part of this nationwide day!

Reserve a room at your library, call your closest friends and family, and gather on August 5th to read books of virtue together. You can choose a book in your BRAVE book collection or any book in the library's collection that teaches children a virtue (love, kindness, perseverance, etc.) and is rooted in Traditional Christian or American values.

Not able to reserve a room at your library? Forget about registering with us and just go to your library on August 5th with your children to read books of virtue. Remember to take photos and post them to social media, but be sure to tag or mention, 1.Your library 2.BRAVE Books 3.Kirk Cameron and 4.#SYATL2023

Including all of those keywords will help this event trend on social media on August 5th and show your support of this nationwide day bringing Traditional Christian and American values back into the public space!

In December of 2022, Kirk Cameron requested to read his first BRAVE Books title, As You Grow, at public libraries all over the country. Over 50 of those libraries, one which also hosted Drag Story Hours, told him he could not read his book or ignored his requests. Kirk wrote letters to some of the libraries expressing his concern for their violation of the First Amendment. The libraries conceded, and he was allowed to read his book. This bred the story hour tour, which has become a movement across the nation. Kirk has gone to over 14 different libraries to host these story hour events.

Most events have included a time for patriotic practices like the Pledge of Allegiance and singing God Bless America. Some have included time of worship, prayer, and guest speakers and readers by other prominent authors and Christian/conservative voices. This movement mobilized thousands of families who were grateful for the much-needed biblical and Patriotic message that Kirk delivered. This movement will come together as one on August 5th with “See You at the Library”, which will then become a national day celebrated at libraries across the country every year to celebrate a return to American, Constitutional, and Biblical values in public libraries for the blessing of our children.

Visit the See You at the Library page and scroll down to ‘How to Host’. You’ll then see the step-by-step process. Step one is getting a space reserved at a library. Start there! We suggest at least a 2-hour window allowing for set-up and clean-up and a 1-hour story time.

Keep it simple! Tell the library staff you would like to reserve a space in the library to host a story hour for the community. They’ll guide you further with any questions they might have (like how many people do you plan on attending, time/date, and what equipment you might need such as a projector, chairs, etc.).

After you register, it takes about 24 business hours to approve of your application. Once approved, your story hour will appear on the map and you will receive an email confirmation with follow up questions and information.

Visit the See You at the Library page and scroll down to view a map of all our registered story hours.

Please reassure your library that none of the BRAVE Books staff will be hosting your event and our instructions for hosts do not in any way ask hosts to promote BRAVE Books or sell them. In fact, we are encouraging story hour hosts to read ANY book of virtue that comes from traditional Christian and American values. Perhaps the library staff could guide you to some of those books in their collection. Additionally, this story hour is hosted by YOU, not BRAVE Books! We're simply arming hosts with some fun materials that you can use for your story hour, but are not required to. Many of our hosts have never put on a story hour before and we are here to help by providing ideas, resources, and even a free BRAVE Book in case you aren't sure what to read.

This is a common policy in libraries and we recommend finding one of those organizations to partner with for the event. You might reach out to local churches or organizations with a mission that seems to align with Christian youth, families, or education. You can even google "christian non-profits near me" as a jumping off point. Home school groups are a great place to ask for help too. Reach out and share more information with them about See You At The Library and see if they're willing to help!

We understand some libraries may not be available on this date or you have connections with other venues such as churches or community centers. However, because the Brave Story Hour movement is an effort to return to American, Constitutional, and Biblical values in public libraries, we are asking that See You at the Library story hours take place in a public library. If your library is unavailable, gather a few friends and family members to go to the library and read books of virtue together on August 5th. Take photos and videos and post them on social media, then tag @bravebooksus, tag your library, and #SYATL so we can recognize your efforts!

While many of our story hours have contained religious elements like prayer or singing worship songs, these are not required to put on your story hour nor does doing those things classify you as a religious group. Advise your library that you will not be partaking in any religious practices and the books you’re reading do not contain any scripture within the story. You can even encourage them to reach out to us and request a copy of the book(s) beforehand. Additionally, although we refer to this as a movement, there is no political affiliation with our company or story hours. BRAVE Books values align with Christian, Conservative viewpoints, but the story hours do not contain political content or gains in any way. The story hours are meant to bring families back to the values and morals our country was founded upon. Even though those values come from Judeo-Christian beliefs, we do not directly preach/teach/discuss the religion as part of the program.

If the library near you is not available, we encourage you to check other libraries in the area. You might also ask the children’s department if you are able to use the space in the children’s area to read a story. This event does not have to be extravagant, just 30-60 minutes reading Brave Books and/or other wholesome books. See if your library can squeeze you into a 30 minute window, or allow you to gather in the children’s section for one story followed by an activity that encourages your attendees to make use of the library's wonderful resources (the library should love that!). Additionally, if you suspect this date is unavailable due to the library intentionally blocking it, please contact us at seeyouatthelibrary@brave.us

For smaller groups we recommend a 20-45 minute story hour depending on how many books you are reading and whether you will do an activity. For larger groups that exceed the room capacity, you may need to conduct more than one story hour each lasting 20-45 minutes, so plan your room reservation times based on how many people you will reach out to attend.

Sometimes less is more especially when you've got children involved. You must keep things moving, so the format of an hour-long event might look something like this:
5 min. Welcome, thank everyone for coming, open with singing pledge of allegiance, prayer, other worship or patriotic songs, etc.15min. Read a Brave Book (or other children’s book of virtue) 
5-7 min. Talk about it/do an activity related to the book (coloring sheets are easy!) 
15 min. Read another book
5-7 min. Talk about it/do another activity related to the book
5 min. Thanks for coming, refer to bravebooks.com resources, library resources, other community resources.

Apart from word-of-mouth to your friends, family, co-workers, neighbors, church etc. Consider posting about it on your personal social media accounts but also reach out to local groups in your community that could share the information on their pages as well. This might include mom, dad, or parenting groups, youth or children’s groups, event groups, etc. You can also contact local churches and nonprofits that can send to their email lists, post flyers, and post on social media. Homeschool groups and co-ops are also great groups to invite.

This is not required, but it makes your story hour more engaging for kids. Consider having a local celebrity or hero guest read (the mayor, a police officer, the owner of a book shop, etc.), sing a song related to the book or keep it simple with Kirk’s favorites: The Pledge of Allegiance, The Star Spangled Banner, God Bless America. There may even be a local student or church member who could lead vocals. Search for cheap DIY activities on the internet, and our favorite, do one of the Brave Challenges in the back of the book. We will also provide many other ideas and resources once you register.

There is no set time for SYATL as long as you have it on August 5th, 2023. Work with your library on the best time to use the space and when you think families with children are most able to attend. The length of the story hour is also dependent upon how many people you plan to invite. Renting a space for a longer amount of time will give you room to host more than one story hour if you have an amazing turnout.

We would love for you to read one of Kirk’s books or your favorite Brave Book for this event, but it is not required. If you have another book of virtue that is rooted in traditional Christian values and/or teaches pro-America values, those are great too. This movement is meant to provide safe, appropriate, and moral entertainment for kids. We will also equip you with Kirk Cameron’s book, As You Grow, for your event and when you register as a host!

In December of 2022, Kirk Cameron requested to read his first BRAVE Books title, As You Grow at public libraries all over the country. Over 50 of those libraries, one which also hosted Drag Story Hours, told him he could not read his book or did not respond at all. Kirk wrote letters to some of the libraries expressing his concern for their violation of the First Amendment. The libraries conceded and he was allowed to read his book. This bred the story hour tour which has become a movement across the nation. Kirk has gone to over 14 different libraries in all different states to host these story hour events. Most events have included a time for patriotic practices like the Pledge of Allegiance and singing God Bless America. Some have included time of worship, prayer, and guest speakers and readers by other prominent authors and Christian/conservative voices. This movement mobilized thousands of families who were grateful for the much needed apolitical, wholesome, Patriotic message that Kirk delivered. This movement will come together as one on August 5th with “See You at the Library”, which will then become a national day celebrated at libraries across the country every year to celebrate a return to American, Constitutional, and Biblical values in public libraries for the blessing of our children.

Kirk started this movement and hopes to pass the torch to the thousands of Americans who supported it. He is asking that whether he is present or not, you come alongside him and BRAVE to overcome the barriers that Christians are facing in public spaces.

Kirk is a man of many talents whose best talent is leading his family. His schedule is orchestrated very carefully to ensure he balances everything that’s important to his family life and career. We cannot guarantee Kirk to stop at every library, but this is not the end. The movement will last forever and can reach every library in America! Kirk is passing the torch to the thousands of families he saw throughout the tour. Afterall, a mission exists for the purpose of the people who are not on the mission. Join Kirk’s mission and the Brave Story Hour Movement and God will bless you in ways that are much more fulfilling than a meet and greet with Kirk!

Take a look at the map, which we updated regularly on this page.

Reach out to local organizations or friends and families of yours that could help host an event. Would your church be able to put something together at the local library? Do you have a family or friend who’s connected? See if they will help you do it! You can also encourage those you are connected with across the country to host or attend the events in their area.

Your safety is most important to us. If at any time you do not feel comfortable moving forward with your event, please make the appropriate decision on whether to cancel your story hour. Please report any opposition from the library, internet trolls, or people in your community to our team at seeyouatthelibrary@brave.us

Set yourself up for success! Plan the story hour with other people you know who support this movement. Call on organizations in your area, your friends, family, church, etc. to help organize the event. Involving others gives them ownership so they will want to attend and invite others to attend as well. You can also ask local organizations/mom groups/churches/schools/etc. to share the information with their email list, post on their social media pages and pass on to their family, friends, and neighbors.

Reach out to local organizations or friends and families of yours that could help you host the event. Would your church be able to put something together at the local library? Do you have a family or friend who’s connected? See if they will help you do it! You could also have a guest reader. Invite a local "hero" (firefighter, police officer, etc.) to read the story. Our staff will be alongside you the whole way to help too. If you feel called to do this, now is the time, and we’re here to help!

Everyone’s story hour will look a little different. Scroll up and click on “Resources” to see an example of the story hour program Kirk Cameron does. You can add any other elements that you’re comfortable with or that your community will enjoy. Just make sure you check with the library policies to see what limitations (like no food or drinks) they might have.

BRAVE Books are appropriate for all ages and the story hour can be too! Families with multiple ages of kids, even teenagers, can enjoy the story hour. Everyone from babies to grandparents will take away a positive feeling from the fellowship that will inevitably occur at the event. BRAVE Books are aimed at children ages 4-12, but promoting a story hour as “all ages” helps parents with multiple children know that baby sis or pre-teen bro are welcome too!

If you’re expecting attendance to exceed room capacity, then we recommend one of two things: 

Require registration for the event by creating an online event (via social media or other platforms) or an e-vite with RSVP, email RSVP etc. NOTE: Make sure to promote your event as such, i.e. “Registration Required!” 

You can also shorten your program and have more than one story hour during your reservation time. If you can’t fit everyone in the first time, give the remaining people a ticket to hold their place for the next story hour. With the ticket, they won’t have to stay in line while they wait and can explore the library, grab a coffee, or go for a walk outside while they wait. This is a great option to have ready in case you’re surprised by a huge turnout the day-of!

We will send all registered hosts a free copy of Kirk Cameron’s book, “As You Grow”. This is the book that started his library tour and it’s appropriate for all ages. With short text and beautiful illustrations, there are tons of opportunities to engage the audience with every page turn. If you want to read a different BRAVE book or book of virtue, you will need to provide it yourself. Please contact seeyouatthelibrary@brave.us with any concerns.

Our company is built on traditional Christian values, so for this event our preference would be a book that is based in those beliefs.

Please email seeyouatthelibrary@brave.us to let us know that you’d like to be notified for the 2024 See You At The Library day.