Grilled Cheese? Yes, Please! by Tim Kleyn (review)

Reviewed by: Grilled Cheese? Yes, Please! by Tim Kleyn Cassidy Russell Kleyn, Tim Grilled Cheese? Yes, Please!; written and illus. by Tim Kleyn. Viking, 2024 40p Trade ed. ISBN 9780593404324 18. 99 E-book ed. ISBN 9780593404331 10. 99 Reviewed from digital galleys R 3-6 yrs Margot lives with her Grandpa and Mama on a tiny island with just enough room for their cozy little house. As a storm rolls in, the wind blows and waves crash outside their window, but inside, Margot and Grandpa are making grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup. As the waves get bigger, however, so too do Margot's worries about Mama, who has not yet returned home. Several boats dock for shelter, helmed separately by a ship captain with a red curly beard, a merchant with long straight hair, and a sailor with red-rimmed glasses, and Grandpa invites each to shelter in their home. When Margot finally spots a familiar tiny rowboat in the distance, everyone in the house must work together to save Mama from the storm—and then to make "the best grilled cheese sandwiches in the history of grilled cheese sandwiches. " Kleyn's follow-up to Set Sail for Pancakes (BCCB 7/22) uses an autumnal palette to convey the coziness of the world inside the house, while the danger of the storm peaks through the house's round windows and bursts through the open front door in slices of rain and darker, more foreboding teals. The digitally rendered characters have distinct visual personalities, though the overcrowded scenes sometimes pull away from the central focus on generosity and the importance of community. The book's use of short exclamations ("Yummy, yummy, yummy" and "Whoosh! Crash!") makes for a fun, snuggly read-aloud that will get tummies rumbling. Thankfully, Kleyn ends the story with a recipe for Grandpa's grilled cheese sandwiches. Copyright © 2024 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois