She read-y: Comedian Tiffany Haddish stars in story time at Lantana library
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
Comedian and actress Tiffany Haddish was more than ready to read her children’s book “Layla, the Last Black Unicorn” to kids at the Lantana Road Branch Library in Lake Worth. She recently was in town for five sold-out shows at the Palm Beach Improv in West Palm Beach.
An overflow crowd packed the library’s meeting room to sit criss cross applesauce while Haddish read the picture book she released last year “about self-acceptance, self-esteem, and standing up for standing out.”
In the library’s video of her visit, Haddish said while growing up, her mother used to drop her off at the library, where she should watch movies and stage plays on VHS tapes.
“Things I couldn’t watch at home, I would watch at the library,” she said.
Haddish co-wrote “Layla” with Jerdine Nolen because she “wanted something for the kids.”
“I’m a comedian and most of my comedy is for grownups. Do not watch my comedy; it’s not for you,” she told the kids in the audience as they laughed.
“But I know kids love to see what I’m doing, and so I wanted to do something for you guys, and that’s why I wrote ‘Layla, the Last Black Unicorn,” which is based on her experiences growing, how she felt going to school, the importance of going to school, and being yourself, she said.
“You have special skills and special gifts that somebody else might not have that can help others, and I think that’s really important.”
After story time, the kids had questions for the former “Kids Say the Darndest Things” host. They asked about everything, from when she was born (1979) to her favorite (family friendly) movie she has made (“Secret Life of Pets 2”).
Her fans also wanted to know:
Are unicorns real? “They’re real to me.'”
Are you writing more books? “I’m planning on writing many more books. Every year, they’ll be a new one that drops.”
Are you friends with actor and comedian Kevin Hart? “Yes, he’s like my big brother, but he’s shorter than me.”
What are your favorite books? Anything by Dr. Suess when she was a kid. Alex Haley’s “Queen” and “Brave New World” by Aldous Huxley as an adult.
Haddish, who said she learned how to read when she was 15, had this advice for the kids: “Every single day spend five minutes reading something out loud. Be useful with your mind, and you have to read in order to do that.”
She also emphatically imparted some other words of wisdom: “Do not get married until you are 30!”
Haddish spent some time with library staff, working on the sorting machine and learning about the book carts.
Next up, she stars as Harriet, a psychic, in Disney’s “Haunted Mansion” movie, which is scheduled to be released in theaters on July 28.
