After seeing a mysterious creature lurking in a lotus field, a little American girl living in Japan uses Japanese mythology to discover who or what the monster is. The book consists of several mythological tales, which explore Japanese history and mythology. In trying to solve the mystery of the lotus monster, it also teaches children Japanese culture and language. Each of the Japanese-style stories in the beautifully illustrated book show the ideals of people or creatures who do the right thing at the right time, and are rewarded for their actions. The moral of the stories are that if you make the right choices, the world will be a better place. The book also includes a glossary of Japanese words used in the stories.