I've been a children's librarian for ten years and I can only think of a couple times where I've had to really explain the DDC to a class at a teachers request. It is helpful if kids can understand that the numbers are in a certain order and that certain subjects are together, so at the most, someone could include effects that put something in order or bring like things together.

There are several libraries here in Colorado and elsewhere that don't even use the DDC any more, they use more of a bookstore like system. Academic libraries (in the U.S.) don't use it, they use the Library of Congress system. Even in public libraries, the DDC only applies to non-fiction, all other books are arranged by author's name. I don't think I'd even spend the time/effort to try to teach the details of the system through magic.

I'm glad it worked out and you still got booked. Magic can definitely be used to excite kids about books and reading, but the Dewey Decimal System can't.

From my magic lecture and my book in perpetual progress:
_THE UNIVERSAL BOOK_
by Sonny Narvaez

A magic coloring book can be adapted by taking full page pictures from non-fiction picture books (520's for a picture book on astronomy; 560's for a picture book on dinosaurs) and pasting them over the pictures in the coloring book (e.g. dinosaur pictures over the black and white line drawings; astronomy pictures over the colored drawings; blank pages are still left blank). Cover the outside of the coloring book with simple blue Contact(tm) paper. The front cover reads:

UNIVERSAL
NON-FICTION BOOK

On what would be the back cover, put self-adhesive squares with dry transfer numbers on them from 0 to 9 like an ATM touch pad (but of course centered better than the Café input window allows):

9 8 7

6 5 4

3 2 1

CLEAR 0 OK

Presentation:
Show the Universal Non-Fiction book to be filled with blank pages. Explain that the book is programmed so that you can enter any Dewey Number on the keypad. I demonstrate by pressing the "keys" on the back for a 520 book, whistling a "BEEP!" as I press each number. Then I flip the pages to show full-page pictures and large print text about the planets. Now press the CLEAR button and show the pages blank again. Press the keys for a 560 book and click OK. Then show the book to have full-page pictures and large print text about dinosaurs.

Publication, video and manufacturing rights for the above routine reserved by Amado Narvaez.

Permission is granted for readers of The Magic Café to make up a "Universal Book" in their shows.

----- Amado "Sonny" Narvaez

Nice idea, Sonny. I suppose you can make ANYTHING exciting if you are good enough.

I look forward to seeing how it plays on video. My initial reaction is that placing pictures over the pages on a coloring book would not look very good. I would be interested to hear others thoughts on this.

The pictures pasted over the original coloring book images (if done well) is no more noticeable than the fact that the long edges of the coloring book pages are cut at different angles. No pages are shown for longer than a fraction of a second since the pages are flipped through without pausing. If preferred the pasted book illustrations could be outlined with a black frame like a comic book panel would be, thus effectively masking any tell-tale edges. But I think that's the "running-when-you're-not-being-chased syndrome."

I did this routine at school libraries and it went over extremely well with the kids, the teachers, and the librarians. Any time you can tie a magic routine into the curriculum--whether it's library reference skills, mathematics, or science--it goes over well with both the teachers and the kids. Dom DeLuise wrote a great children's book called _Charlie the Caterpillar_
http://img.infibeam.com/img/0a15f3ee/075/6/9780671796075.jpg
and I used the Instant Painting trick where a caterpillar turns into a butterfly as a follow-up to a read-aloud of the book.
http://www.laflinmagicstore.com/ProductD......ode=MCTB

One of the rules of book circulation is that 20% of the collection gets checked out 80% of the time. When a best-seller comes out, there are often reserves placed on the book by patrons extending over a several weeks period. A "Universal Book" would in theory make any book available any time to any patron.

I should also perhaps point out that I have a Master's of Library Science degree from the University of Maryland and I frequently did magic tricks with a library theme in both school and public libraries.

Another routine I did was a book test using a library copy of a picture dictionary that had guide words at the top corners. A page was chosen "at random" and a child was asked to remember the guide word at the top of the page. I revealed the guide word first by saying "The word has... two--no, three,--no--four vowels in it. Two of the vowels are the letter "e". It's a three syllable word.--Yes,the word is... "DEMONSTRATE"
Since it was a picture dictionary, I could also "psychically" describe some of the pictures on the "freely chosen" page.

School librarians loved the dictionary routine because learning about guide words in reference books like dictionaries and encyclopedias was part of the curriculum.

----- Sonny

Thanks for further clarifying. My concern about pasting the pictures was not about concern of exposure, but rather just how the book would appear with the added thickness and pastings. On the other hand, it would not cost muc to do it and see for myself.

Thanks.

For my last library show for 2013, last weekend, I did an improv song on this topic.

It followed a do-op song called Lollipop.
First did it straight...lolly pop, lolly pop...then went into liver liver...

Then morphed into a song about a boy named Dooey..Last name of course was decimal.
Lyrics came from suggestions the kids and adults gave me...

Of course 793.8 was mentioned as well as good old 796 section on sports...

Does soccer rhyme with locker? yep....

Will continue working on a do-op song....with simple chord progression..

C-----A minor-----F------G 7.......repeat....

Harris
laughologist and nearly normal reader & "righter"