Reading is magic — at least according to a lush and decorative piece of art adorning the wall of an elementary library.

Groves Elementary School Library is now home to a freshly painted mural situated in the far corner of its facility. It is a picture of two children reading underneath a tree in silhouette, framed between butterflies and the appropriate slogan: “Discover the magic of reading.”

The entire piece is immersed in a lush, blue background with white, starry lights.

“Kids are reading in silhouette, but there’s light coming from the books. It’s cool how he captured the joy of reading,” Mandie Champagne, school principal, said.

Champagne commissioned local artist Elias Cabrera to paint it after witnessing some of his artwork spray painted across a fence on Monroe Boulevard in Groves.

Champagne said she was impressed by the work on the fence and contacted Cabrera to see if he would want to do a new mural for the school’s library.

“It was a 20-year-old mural. It wasn’t really relevant anymore,” Champagne said. “It had characters like Swiss Family Robinson and Tom Sawyer, but kids nowadays don’t really know who those people are. Kids (today) read different genres.”

After contracting him for the work, Cabrera finished the art in a day and a half and had completely revamped the mural.

“He free-handed it; he didn’t even use a stencil,” Champagne said. “He drew a tree with two kids reading under it discovering the magic of reading. The book they’re reading has butterflies coming out of it.”

Champagne said part of the work’s appeal to her was revealed in its multiple layers of design.

“It has no characters, but is covered with butterflies and hearts and other neat things,” she said. “The more you look at it, the more you see little treasures in it.”

Champagne described the piece as having a “street art” kind of vibe and said it was a great update for the library.

“We posted it on our Facebook and already we have gotten some really great feedback,” Champagne said. “Parents are already saying their kids will love it.”

A Port Arthur native, Cabrera said the work was done in part with an overview given by Champagne.

“She had some ideas from pictures, and I just kind of gave it little touches,” he said. “I just wanted it to look good for kids so they would like it.”

The 21-year-old artist started painting walls three years ago. He said art has been a passion of his since he was in elementary school.

Cabrera said he balances his art with another trade that could serve as an outlet for creativity, that of a barber.

“A lot of people get off work late, so I paint in the morning and cut hair later,” Cabrera said.

He used spray paint to create the mural, a choice he said is faster than traditional paint and something to make the colors pop easier.

“It literally just breathes life into the library. That blue is so uplifting,” Champagne said.

Cabrera said he would like to continue his work and to get it out more in the public. He’s hoping to get permission from the city of Port Arthur to do some mural work in downtown.