A retelling of a Japanese story believed to date from the 12th century. Izumi is the privileged and pretty daughter of a provincial inspector in the emperor's court; she refuses to conform to standards of beauty and decorum. Preoccupied with the study of ``the original nature of things,'' Izumi particularly loves caterpillars, and most enjoys the company, not of noblemen, but of low class boys who supply her with caterpillars to study. She attracts the admiration of a young nobleman who concludes he is not good enough for her; the story thus ends abruptly for, as an author's note explains, the rest of it has been lost. The retelling of this curious fragment is graceful and competent. Cooper's warm, beautiful oil wash paintings are in his familiar, appealing style, but they are flawed by inaccuracy of detail in both costume and setting, reflecting a period hundreds of years later than the story's setting. Still, this unusual piece will find use in classrooms; literally unfinished, it is a natural for creative writing assignments and, teamed with Cole's Dragon in the Cliff (Lothrop, 1991), could lead to discussion of the difficulties faced by women with a passion for science. --Kate McClelland, Perrot Memorial Library, Greenwich, CT Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.