A retelling of a story found on a twelfth century scroll, in which a young girl chooses her own interests and her own life. Living in twelfth-century Japan, Izumi, a young girl who is fascinated by small creatures, especially caterpillars, ignores the rigid conventions of Japanese court life and the wishes of her parents to pursue her own interests and choices.
| Author | Jean Merrill |
| Illustrator | Floyd Cooper |
| Date | 1992 |
| Publisher | Penguin |