FEATHERS

The good fools of Chelm are hauled out and dusted off for still more ridicule; and, unlike many retellers of their woes, Gordon provides some edifying background on how they came to be so silly. Then the story: after the bathhouse burns down (the watchman is promoted for watching well), Chelmites beg everywhere for money to rebuild. Then, worried about robbers, they exchange their coins for feathers and send them homeward on a breeze (never to arrive). Gordon lengthens the tale with the Chelmites' thoughts, adds mocking asides, and wheedles from readers a conspiratorial understanding of her use of the word ``wise.'' Dabcovich's zany cartoons re-create a little piece of history in the Eastern European setting and costumes; her loose lines perfectly capture the look of bewildered trust that's standard issue in Chelm. (Picture book. 5-8)