A small girl, fearful and yet fascinated by the reclusive woman who lives in the yellow house across the street from her, asks to go along with her mother when she is invited to come play the piano for "the Mystery." Although the shy hostess never shows herself during their visit, the child creeps up the stairs and encounters her sitting on a chair in the upstairs corridor. A lyrical story, based on an imagined meeting between Emily Dickinson and a neighbor child, is exquisitely illustrated with softly textured acrylic and pastel paintings on China silk. (Ages 5-8)

In a yellow house surrounded by a tall hedge in Amherst, Massachusetts, lives a woman who hasn't left its grounds in nearly 20 years. Even when she invites visitors, she stays out of sight. People call her "the Myth."

Yet the young girl who lives across the street knows something more about this secretive woman. One day her mother goes to play the piano at the yellow house, and the girl joins her. When no one is looking, the girl goes upstairs and sees the reclusive poet Emily Dickinson. Their unexpected meeting results in an exchange of very special gifts.