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SaskatoonVideo

Drag the kids: The Queen and co. host children's storytime at Saskatoon library

A group of over 100 children and parents watched as three drag queens read from kids books at the Frances Morrison Library in Saskatoon Saturday afternoon.

3 drag queens entertain and inspire large gathering of kids during Saturday book reading

Ryan Young as a southern belle, read from both Where the Wild Things Are and Mortimer. (Guy Quenneville/CBC News)

"This would have never happened" when Ryan Young stage name China White was growing up, Young reflectedon Saturday.

"This" was the first-ever Drag Queen Storytime for children at Saskatoon's Frances Morrison Library.

The special event, part of the 25th Saskatoon Pride Festival, starred White alongside a Queen Elizabeth lookalike and Puffy von Pop-n-Fresh.

"I know a lot of other drag queens have done it in a lot of other cities and it's been a huge hit," said Young as children and parents streamed into Pooh's Corner at the library.

So many people showed up, in fact, that the event had to be moved to a downstairs meeting room.

So many people showed up the event had to be moved from the upstairs Pooh's Corner to a downstairs meeting hall. (Guy Quenneville/CBC News)

Ricardo Alvarado as Puffy von Pop-n-Fresh started things off with a reading of You Don't Want a Unicorn.

"This is hard with the rings and the nails," said vonPop-n-Fresh, flipping pages.

"This is hard with the rings and the nails," said Puffy von Pop-n-Fresh. (Guy Quenneville/CBC News)

Rob MacDonald, er, The Queen, came next.

[Full disclosure: This reporter first asked if The Queen was dressed as Dana Carvey's Church Lady from Saturday Night Live. This was met with a justifiably withering stare.]

The Queen quipped that the kids were getting an early university credit for their attendance. (Guy Quenneville/CBC News)

"I just want all of you children to know that this lovely life experience that you'll have today goes towards your first year at university. It's a credit," The Queensaid to her rapt audience.

'Do as you please' says The Queen

Early into The Queen'sreading of 1,000 Dresses, a young child in the crowd said he had worn a dress.

"You should do as you please. Do as you please," said The Queen.

Dressed as a southern belle "I thought since we were doing something sort of fun and festive I'd come out as a princess," he said Young read from both Where the Wild Things Are and Mortimer.

But he also mentioned another literacy source that gave him comfort growing up: the Dr. Seuss stories, in which something was always "different or quirky."

"By the end of them, you always learned the lesson that it didn't matter. The difference didn't matter," he said.

"Some of these kids could be LGBTQ youth so the fact that we can maybe give them a little boost up, make them feel okay about things, and loved and accepted, I think that's a pretty positive way of doing Pride."