Saturday, Sept. 13, from 10 to 11:30 a.m., promises to be a banner day at the Greater Southington-Cheshire Community YMCA, located at 29 High St., in downtown Southington.

Not only is it the day the Y will offer a free family literacy program, but the guest reader will be Mary Pope Osborne, the famed author who has penned over 40 books for children, including the Magic Tree House series.

Osborne will be on hand to read and distribute copies of her new book, "The Eve of the Emperor Penguin," which the children will be able to take home with them after the program is over.

The event is free and open to the public.

Pre-registration is required, and will be limited to the first 100 children who register. Registrations can be obtained in person at the YMCA, or by calling (860) 628-5597.

The morning's activities will include a book reading, a penguin craft and a special snack.

Parent or guardian must stay with the child during the program

Donna Ayer, community development director at the Y, is managing the event.

"We applied for a Readers Digest grant earlier this year, and we received a $1,000 donation from them to help us increase and improve the literacy programs we offer. They asked us to hold a family literacy program, which, of course, we were glad to do.

"Then, the call came that Mary Pope Osborne would be coming and reading from her new book, which won't be released until later this month, and we were all ecstatic."

Ayer says Osborne writes about children's adventures and sets the stories in a historical context, such as the Revolutionary War. The books are geared toward third-, fourth- and fifth-graders; however, the program could be interesting to younger children as well. "This is really exciting for me," Ayer said, "both from a professional level and as the mother of two big-time readers. To be able to meet and talk to a real life author, one whose books have been read by almost every youngster is fantastic."

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