Who knew reading could be so fun?

In celebration of the start of its 2006 summer reading program, the Newport Beach Public Library will host an afternoon of family fun at three locations Saturday.

The Central Library boasts attractions including a Scholastic Book Fair, face-painting, storytelling, and at 10:30 a.m., a live, interactive performance by award-winning juggler Dave Cousins. Activities will take place in the Friends Meeting Room and Bamboo Courtyard from 9 a.m. to noon at the library at 1000 Avocado Ave.

Festivities will continue as Cousins makes another appearance at 3 p.m. at the newly completed Donna and John Crean Mariners Branch Library at 1300 Irvine Ave.

At the Balboa Branch Library, there will be “bubbles everywhere” at 11 a.m. Kids and adults can learn bubble-making techniques and have lots of soapy fun. The Balboa Branch Library is at 100 East Balboa Blvd.

The summer reading program runs from Saturday until July 18, and its activities are for babies, kids entering sixth-grade and everyone in between. Beginning Saturday, kids can register either online or at the library. This is the second year that online registration has been available for the program, and Mariner’s Branch Children’s Librarian Amy Harpster said the service “seems like it’s really growing?. Signing up online has almost become more popular than coming into the library,” said.

Kids who participate in the program will receive a game sheet to record the time they spend reading, up to 20 hours. Very young children may participate by being read to by a parent or other adult. This year’s program theme, “Paws, Claws, Scales & Tales,” appeals to kids of all ages and serves as another incentive to read.

When kids bring their updated sheets to the library, they will receive rewards such as stickers, toys, food coupons, Fun Zone carousel tokens and paperback books. Kids who complete 20 hours are eligible to win a grand prize. And every time kids visit the library they can be entered in a weekly drawing to win a T-shirt or other prize.

Coinciding with the kickoff of the reading program is the Newport Beach Public Library’s colorful new library card, designed just for kids.

“We wanted to design a card for children 12 and under that would be more appealing and fun,” said Central Library Children’s Librarian Victoria Campbell. “The card is bright green, and it’ll be available starting on Saturday, so kids can either exchange their card, or if they’ve never had a library card before they can get the new one.”dpt.24-library-CPhotoInfoT81SA6ST20060624j1c437nc(LA)