by Wendy Butzerin
On August 5, 60-plus children and parents gathered at the Burien Library to enjoy a national book-reading event hosted by local resident Janette Nuss. This fledgling national movement, “See You at the Library,” promotes free speech and traditional virtues such as faith, hope, and love. These family-friendly story hours were inspired by actor-writer Kirk Cameron and BRAVE Books, a children’s book publisher. Burien was one of 300 hosts across 46 states.
The captivating story-time opened with the flag salute led by the Boy Scout Color Guard from Troop #375 based at St. Francis of Assisi Church.
Seasoned storyteller Nuss narrated two books for the attentive audience. The first reading was from Cameron’s new book, Pride Comes Before the Fall, which focused on humility, bravery, and compassionate teamwork.
The second book, Grandma Mona and the Midnight Skunk, was written by local author Ruth Storkel. This story was based on a real person and centered on her faith in God. As the story unfolds, the main character Grandma Mona seeks God through all the joys and trials of her life, including problem-solving about what to do with an unwelcome skunk in her basement. The children were engaged with the stories as they sat huddled around Janette.
Midway through, a local pastor offered a blessing to the children. By the end, all children had opportunities to win books from a raffle and learn how to purchase other BRAVE books.
It was a delightfully wholesome and patriotic community event, and we look forward to next year’s story time!
It was such a delightful event..I hope there will be more like it.
Way to go, Janette! So glad it was a success!