Melba Wilson, Sherri Shepherd, & NYPL Host Storytime

By NYPL Staff
March 2, 2023
two women stand on either side of a mascot lion outside NYPL main library front steps
Melba Wilson (left) and Sherri Shepherd (right) stand with Patience the Lion

NYPL

Books are better when someone reads them to you… Bonus points if it’s Sherri Shepherd! We were honored to host a storytime with acclaimed actress, comedian, and daytime television talk show host of Sherri, Sherri Shepherd, celebrity chef and restaurateur Melba Wilson, owner of Melba’s Restaurant in Harlem, and students from the Harlem Village Academies school. Many of the students signed up for their first library card.

a woman reading from an open picture book in front of an audience
Sherri Shepherd reading 'Lost in the Library: A Story of Patience & Fortitude' by Josh Funk and illustrated by Stevie Lewis

NYPL

Shepherd said that libraries brought her many of the books that inspired her imagination, which led her to pursue acting. Performing in film and TV put her directly in the stories she read as a kid.

The story-telling event is the first of a series of events that NYPL is planning with Wilson, a community leader and lifelong lover of reading, to encourage young New Yorkers to visit and patronize public libraries. 

a man in a suit chats with kids seated around a large round table
NYPL President Tony Marx greets students from Harlem Village Academies school

NYPL

a large group of elementary school age kids stand on the steps of the Library with a lion mascot
Students from the Harlem Village Academies school.

NYPL

A huge thank you to Sherri Shepherd, Melba Wilson, and the Stavros Niarchos Foundation for helping us make this wonderful event happen.

Don't have an NYPL library card? Anyone who lives, works, or goes to school in New York is eligible. Find out how to get a card at one of our locations or apply online for a digital card.