'One upon a time, not long ago, almost now, there was a young House ant called Mona Minim who was preparing to make her first journey out of the nest.' So begins this enchanting story of little Mona Minim in her yellow sunbonnet and floral apron and six black-buttoned shoes, who became lost while playing the Stair Game and was found by Barbara, the Garden Ant, who became her friend.

Recipient of the prestigious Commonwealth Writers Prize in 1989, Janet Frame has long been admired for her startlingly original prose and formidable imagination. A native of New Zealand, she is the author of eleven novels, four collections of stories, a volume of poetry, a children's book, and her heartfelt and courageous autobiography -- all published by George Braziller. This fall, we celebrate our thirty-ninth year of publishing Frame's extraordinary writing.