An Extra Special Storytime

From left: “Mr. Billy” Allen, Kendyl Sayuri Yokoyama and Blaine Alden Krauss

On May 23, The Smith Center partnered with the Las Vegas-Clark County Library District on a special event at Whitney Library, featuring cast members from Hamilton, the global phenomenon that recently concluded its third run at Reynolds Hall.

“Hip-Hop Storytime,” hosted by Whitney Branch Manager “Mr. Billy” Allen, drew a packed theater filled with local children and parents to watch as Blaine Alden Krauss (who plays Hamilton) and Kendyl Sayuri Yokoyama (Eliza) brought three books to life onstage.

Allen, Krauss and Yokoyama breathed fresh life into Anna Dewdney’s Llama Llama Red Pajama, James and Kimberly Dean’s Pete the Cat: Hickory Dickory Dock and Sheryl Smiley-Oliphant’s New Baby Coming, New Baby Here, rapping the words from the texts as hip-hop beats played in the background.

Adding to the excitement, Smiley-Oliphant was in the audience, watching her words entertain the appreciative crowd.

After the story time session, Krauss and Yokoyama answered questions about their work in Hamilton, their love of reading and their advice to young people interested in performing arts.

Allen created “Hip-Hop Storytime” as a fun way to engage children in reading through movement and rhythm. Capitalizing on his “Mr. Billy” character from his popular @3KingsVision Instagram and YouTube channels, Allen emphasizes the importance of creating positive reading experience for children and their families.

“Mr. Billy” appears regularly in the Whitney Library, and library customers are very familiar with his passion for neighborhood outreach, engaging programming and exceptional customer service, which have made a profound impact on the community.

Allen is a recipient of the City of Las Vegas Compassionate City Award and was recently named the James Partridge Outstanding African American Information Professional by the Black Caucus of the American Library Association. He was also featured on Season 9 of the Netflix series Queer Eye.