Magician honored for promoting children’s literacy
Magician Mac King recently received the Bringing Out the Best award from Optimist International for helping to promote children’s literacy. King has served as spokesman for Junior Optimist Octagon International’s new reading program since October 2006.
“I got a major award,” said King, who received the honor onstage June 13 while performing his late afternoon show at Harrah’s Las Vegas. King said being rewarded for his efforts is “really cool.”
“It’s so fun to work with Optimist International,” King said. “It’s really nice to be around positive people.”
King added he is “honored to be a little part of their big push” toward children’s literacy.
He was recruited to help with the St. Louis-based Optimist International’s campaign for children’s literacy after Jim Nagel, an amateur magician and senior director of member services for Optimist International, became aware of King’s work with the Clark County Reads program.
Clark County Reads is an initiative of the Public Education Foundation that promotes literacy and provides programs to children and families, including a book distribution program and library enhancement program.
Through the initiative, King began visiting local schools and reading stories to children. In 2005, he was named the spokesman for Clark County Reads.
“I went to schools, mostly at-risk schools, and read stories and did magic tricks,” King said.
When he does classroom visits, King enjoys bringing along two books in particular.
“The one I like and the one that gets the biggest reaction is ‘Sideways Story from Wayside School,’ ” King said of the book by Louis Sachar. “The story is about a mean teacher who turns kids into apples, and then is turned into an apple and eaten by the P.E. teacher,” King said with a laugh.
King also reads the folk tale “Teeny Tiny” from “an old book from ‘My Bookhouse’ series” that has been handed down through his family. After the readings, King performs magic tricks that he tries to tie in with the stories.
King lets the children know that reading fueled his interest in magic when he was growing up.
“I was pretty lucky both of my grandfathers were amateur magicians,” he said. “Mom’s dad had magic books at his house.”
At the time, when King saw a trick he thought it was “actual magic.”
King said once he discovered it was a trick and wanted to know how to do it, his grandfather would tell him it was in a book.
King said as he got older he began to think his grandfather had pulled a “scam” on him to get him to read.
“I am grateful for the time I spent with my grandfather and for him instilling my love of reading,” King said.
Through Junior Optimist Octagon International’s reading program, King has a Web site called Mac King’s Corner that features activities and a reading list courtesy of King’s daughter, Elizabeth, 7. The Web site address is
www.lohmanhillscreative.com/mackingscorner/
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