Professional magician Cris Johnson

WESTFIELD — Patterson Library is hosting a professional summer reading magic show, open to the community, today at 11:15 a.m., at the library, located at 40 S. Portage St., Westfield.

The show, titled “The Building & Construction Magic Show,” is being used as part of the library’s efforts to encourage children to read more during the summer.

The magic show, presented by professional magician Cris Johnson, will feature music, age-appropriate humor, fun magic, audience participation, and more. The show is intended for children ages four through 12 and any fun-loving adults.

“This particular magic show is something different — it was designed to promote our summer reading program theme of ‘Build A Better World — Read’,” Library Director Erin Hauenstein explained. “The show will feature magic themed around different aspects of building and architecture, a fun game of Punctuation Pandemonium, a fun encounter with Cosmo, The Mind Reading Monkey, and more!”

Why did magician Cris Johnson go to the trouble of creating an entire show around the 2017 Summer Reading Program theme?

“I’ve been creating and presenting themed shows to libraries and schools across North America for nearly 20 years and it’s a passion of mine,” Johnson explained. “With budget cuts increasing all the time, we as a community really need to support our local libraries, encourage children to read more, watch less TV, and protect our children’s future.”

Parents can still sign up their children, as well as themselves, for the Summer Reading Program on the main floor of the Patterson Library. For more information about the Patterson Library, its programs and the summer reading program, visit pattersonlibrary.info.