Kirk Cameron launched his newest children’s book, Pride Comes Before the Fall, with public readings at The Billy Graham Library, in North Carolina, and The Seattle Public Library, in Washington.

Coach Joe Kennedy, the Bremerton High School football coach who was fired for kneeling and praying on the field, joined Cameron for the event. Kennedy was reinstated after a 6 to 3 Supreme Court decision which reaffirmed his Constitutional rights to freedom of speech and religion.

While the Seattle event drew a handful of protestors, more than 400 parents and grandparents attended with their children and grandchildren.

Pride Comes Before the Fall is available from Brave Books on June 1, as part of the company’s Freedom Saga, a series for children ages 4 to 12. The series features animals who live on Freedom Island and learn lessons about Christian values.

The books also teach about important cultural issues such as “transgender” ideology – Elephants are Not Birds, the value of life – Little Lives Matter, and capitalism – The Island of Free Ice Cream. They include challenges and questions for families to discuss and work through together.

Cameron’s book tells the story of a tiger named Valor who has entered “the Great Raka Rapids Race” with an elephant teammate, Kevin.

The description says:

When Valor’s pride puts him and his partner in a tough spot, Valor realizes that some things are far more important than winning. Join Valor and Kevin as they learn about humility, and then Complete the Brave Challenge at the back of the book with your own family.

Cameron told the Daily Citizen he was grateful for the response from parents in Seattle:

In the city most famous for coffee and grunge music, we were awakened with a joyful song of gratitude from hundreds of parents and kids at the Seattle Public Library. My new children’s book, Pride Comes Before The Fall, was a huge hit and the kids instantly understood the importance of its main lesson – always be humble and kind.

I was especially struck by the parents who said, “Thank you for coming to Seattle – where people forget there are good, God-loving, and patriotic families.”

Coach Kennedy told us:

I met Kirk years ago when my case first started. Throughout all of it, he has been so supportive, and we’ve continued to stay in contact with each other and have become good friends. When I heard he was doing these story hours, I knew I wanted to be involved and return my support. …

These kinds of events are so important because they remind people and their community of the importance of traditional American values.

Cameron told Fox News about his own struggles with pride and about his relationship with God that began to transform him:

I had a problem with pride – and there’s no wonder, when you’re 17, 18 years old, you’re on a popular Hollywood television program [a reference to the hit sitcom Growing Pains], and you have an amount of money and popularity and influence – it’s easy to become prideful. And that it almost took me out.

It was the grace of God that humbled me and reminded me that thinking of others and being a spokesperson for what is true and beautiful and good is a higher priority than living life for myself and my own glory.

He explained that our nation perpetuates the idea that pride is good and should be celebrated, adding that instead, children should be encouraged to embrace humility:

We need to teach this to our children when they’re young. They deserve it. How disingenuous and selfish to teach children that pride is a good thing, when God warns us that pride comes before destruction – and that he opposes the proud and gives grace to the humble.”

Brave Books CEO and Founder Trent Talbot told the Daily Citizen why books like this are valuable for parents:

I think that this is such an important topic – pride is thinking that you don’t need God. It really is the root of all sin. And I think our culture has gotten it a little backward on pride. We think this is a great opportunity to partner with Kirk, especially in the month of June, when you’re going to see the word ‘pride’ a lot.

While the book is scheduled for release at the beginning of “LGBT Pride Month,” Cameron explained:

My book is not for any one narrow group of people. It’s for everyone, and particularly for children. We want everyone to benefit from this. This is not an anti-LGBT book. This is a pro-humility book.

He said that Pride Comes Before the Fall is the first in a planned series on all the seven deadly sins.

Brave Books is planning a nationwide library event later this summer:

On August 5, 2023, we are calling on all families who love God and love America to gather at our local public libraries to pray, sing, and read BRAVE Books and other books of virtue. Imagine thousands of local public libraries filled by you, your friends, your pastors, your teachers and your local representatives on this date.

Related articles and resources:

Protestors, Rainbow Flags and LGBT Books Greet Families at Kirk Cameron Book Reading

Kirk Cameron Declares ‘Win’ Over Public Libraries That Tried to Censor His Faith-Based Book

Kirk Cameron Expands Story Hour Tour to ‘Take Back the Hearts and Minds of Our Children’

Kirk Cameron’s ‘Story Hour’ Reading Draws Record Breaking Turnout at Indianapolis Library, Publisher Says

Read to Your Children About the Birds and the Elephants