MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. --
Camp Pendleton kicked-off its summer reading program with a mouth-watering magic show from Amazing Dana the Nutrition Magician at the base’s Patrick J. Carney Library, June 20.
Children of all ages poured into the facility’s newly renovated children’s library room for an afternoon of tasty trickery and nutritional knowledge as part the Department of Defense’s initiative to keep children and their parents actively reading throughout the summer.
This year’s theme is ‘Reading is so Delicious.’
“My child and I signed up last summer and had a blast coming to all the shows and events,” said Ashley Figueroa, a parent of a child enrolled in the summer reading program. “Not only do we get to come to the library to pick out books, but we also get to learn something very beneficial for the both of us.”
During the magic performance, Dana entertained parents and children with clever tricks while at the same time linking each one to a nutritional fact to help stay healthy over the summer.
“I’ve been doing magic for over 50 years, and the very first trick I ever learned to do was when I read it from a book,” said Dana. “Performances such as this one are especially meaningful to me because I get the chance to educate on the importance of nutrition and come back to where it all started, the library.”
During the program, children and their parents log the number of hours they have read and return a log sheet back to their local library. Children who participate are asked to complete the books on their own or for younger children, with the help of a parent. Last year’s program logged more than 10 million minutes spent reading by children and families.
Prizes are awarded throughout the summer to readers with most logged hours.
This year marks the third in which 250 base and installation libraries will participate in the shared summer reading program. Last year, Camp Pendleton had 2,277 participants which included adults, teens and children.
“The summer reading program is great because it gives us something to do while his dad is gone,” said Figueroa, who also has a husband currently deployed. “This is a great way to get out of the house and learn something new.”