by KYW’s Rasa Kaye

It's the second chapter of Philly's largest celebration of the written word - The Philadelphia Book festival returns to the Central Branch of the Free Library.

Last year's inaugural event here on the Parkway drew more than 20,000 attendees (see related story).

Andy Kahan director of author events at the Free Library of Philadelphia, he says this year's lineup of eclectic and family friendly talent, story-tellers, celebrities, musical performances and literary giants will welcome even more guests:

"There's a lot to see at the festival. One of the things that I recommend to folks is to come down and see Bernadette Peters, she'll be on stage at noon and then in the Citi Bank main stage auditorium she's going to be talking about her new book "Broadway Barks". She's also going to sing a song that is associated with the book. So, it's a great opportunity to see a Tony Award winning actress give a performance and a reading."

For a schedule of events, go to www.freelibrary.org.