Miss Mabel's Table

A cumulative rhyming book, a counting book and a pancake recipe all in one, this zippy title keeps readers guessing until the end. In the first spread, Miss Mabel is seen rising to a 5:00 a.m. alarm; facing the illustration is a cheery, if ungrammatical, verse: ``This is one frying pan, big and bold, / waiting to cook on the kitchen stove, / but now, so quiet and empty and cold, / sits on Miss Mabel's table.'' But the relationship between the right and left pages grows mysterious as Mabel leaves her home, buys a newspaper and gets on the elevated train; all the while, more and more ingredients pile on her table. Eventually the two worlds intersect as Miss Mabel reaches her destination, her diner (named Miss Mabel's Table), where she mixes together all the ingredients to serve pancakes to 10 happy customers. Chandra's playful text profits from Grover's ( The Accidental Zucchini ) funky, childlike paintings. With his wacky perspectives and bright chunks of color, he speaks the same deliciously uncommon language as the author. Ages 5-8. (Mar.)