COUNTING FEATHERS

A boy describes his collection of feathers to an inexplicably engrossed girl. Adapted from the author's song, ``I Collect Feathers, I Collect Rocks,'' to picture-book form, the story is told in banal rhyme: ``I'm counting feathers two by two; I've got so many more to do. I bet you I could fill a truck! Hey, look at this one—thank you, Duck!'' After a sneeze rearranges the feathers, the boy, about eight, switches to collecting rocks, and on the last page, finds in postage stamps the perfect collectible. Floca's ink-and-watercolor illustrations enliven many of the scenes with humorous details—e.g., a giant ladder leading up to drawers that store the collection—and occasionally steal the show: Posters in the boy's room, showing his range of interests from Stonehenge to icebergs, convey the character in more concise and interesting terms than those found in text. (Picture book. 5-7)