NORTH ATTLEBORO - The town's Big Read program is garnering international attention.

North Attleboro has been chosen as one of three places in the country that a delegation from Egypt will visit next week to observe one of the programs related to the townwide read of Harper Lee's "To Kill A Mockingbird."

A delegation of 11 Egyptians will be on hand as Charles Shields discusses "Mockingbird: A Portrait of Harper Lee" at North Attleboro Middle School at 7:30 p.m. on March 11.

Sam McLanahan, director of the Big Read of Eastern Massachusetts and a member of the Richards Memorial Library board of trustees, said the delegations's decision to visit North Attleboro is good news.

"Richards Memorial Library is pleased to be able to welcome the group from Egypt to our town and to observe one of the central events of our Big Read programming," he said. "We feel it is quite an honor to have been chosen as one of only three U.S. destinations for the group to visit and see The Big Read in action." The Egyptian delegation is visiting in anticipation of a international version of the Big Read, which will be launched this fall.

In that program, Americans will be reading "The Thief and the Dogs" by Egyptian author Naguib Mahfouz, a Nobel laureate in literature. Meanwhile, participating communities in Egypt can choose one of three classic American novels that will be translated into Arabic - Ray Bradbury's "Fahrenheit 451," John Steinbeck's "The Grapes of Wrath" or "To Kill a Mockingbird."

The purpose of the visit is to provide first-hand experience to the Egyptian partners as they begin the planning stages of their programming. After attending meetings at the National Endowment for the Arts, the group will travel to Boston, North Attleboro and Hartford to observe Big Read programming.

"After our successful kickoff event this past Saturday, the North Attleboro Big Read presented by Richards Memorial Library is off to a great start," McLanahan said. "Having our special visitors from Egypt now adds an international flavor to what is already shaping up to be a very successful town-wide effort."