``A muster of peacocks,'' ``a kindle of kittens,'' and other familiar and unusual collective nouns form the text of Heller's book. Bright, richly-colored oil pencil and line drawings enliven each set of objects, and some are exceptionally life-likeone can practically hear the crunch of the crusty loaves of bread and smell the bananas. Each group of items is presented in rhyme, which is remarkably smooth and unforced until the last page, when an explanation of the concept of col lective nouns, more suited to simple prose, intrudes. While ``. . .Jewels'' can be used to help children learn about parts of speech, its principal charm lies in the illustrations and the vocabulary itself, which will delight small eyes and ears. Kathleen Brachmann, Highland Park Public Library, Ill. Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.