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)

A young girl is curious about Emily, the woman who lives across the street. Why does she never leave the house? The girl's father says Emily writes poetry and always wears white. Shortly before the coming of spring, the girl's mother is invited to play piano for Emily; and when she goes, she takes the girl with her. While her mother plays, the girl sneaks upstairs. There she meets the reclusive poet Emily Dickinson, and the two new friends exchange special gifts.