"When she finds a feather, Grandma Dot adds it to her collection. Feathers, she tells her two granddaughters, remind Grandma Dot of people she's lost. At first, the girls see the feathers as fun to play with. But soon, Grandma Dot's feathers take on larger meanings--of comfort, remembrance, and love"--

When Prewitt the peacock's shamefully scraggly tail develops the appearance of a scary greeneyed monster, the other peacocks decide it has to go.