Drag queens take over story hour in NYC

Story hour has always been a popular event at libraries all over the country and even the world. New York's public library branches have been adding a fun twist to them though. The Hudson branch of the New York Public Library and the Brooklyn Public Library are now offering drag queen story hour for children and their parents.

The New York Times published an article on the colorful event. The story began with the writer depicting an image of the drag queen Harmonica Sunbeam standing before the crowd. It almost seemed to be like a profile story instead of a hard news story. The article went on to include facts about how to program is growing. The early literacy coordinator for the New York Public Library, Eva Shapiro said "We didn't want any surprises. Some neighborhoods are less familiar with the concept. But so far everyone has been thrilled." Drag queen story hour will expand to Manhattan and the Bronx later in the spring and summer.

CBS news also reported on drag queen story hour through a photo gallery. I thought this was a great idea considering the fact that the drag queen's outfit, make-up and hair really affect their performance and readers get to see this first hand. Each photo contained a smaller caption that talked about what was going on in the photo. These particular photos followed Lil Miss Hot Mess at the Brooklyn
Public Library.

 Something I found interesting about this article was the fact that it followed how the drag queen gets ready for her performance. It included make-up, wigs, and the lovely rainbow and silver sequin dress she wore.






Drag Queen Story Hour is not only fun but teaches children a lesson as well. It shows them that there's nothing wrong with boys wanting to wear dresses and that you should be yourself no matter what.


photos originally from: the New York Times and cbsnews.com (see links above)