This is a young girl with a real passion for life and nature. Her main interest is having fun. She lives with her mother, father, and two pets, a cat and a dog. She tried to go to school when she was young, but felt too stifled so she is home-schooled as the book begins. She enjoys drawing and talking about nature and reading. She is very creative.
Ida is smart and works hard so she can be free to go outside to draw and talk with the trees and brook and other parts of nature. Life is perfect for her until her mother becomes ill and she has to go back to the regular school. It's a difficult transition for her, but she learns to appreciate others and understand that regular school isn't so horrible after all.