I Already Know I Love You: A Book for Expectant Grandparents

We knew him as the first openly gay character on TV. We watched him host the Oscars and appear on Saturday Night Live. Now Billy Crystal has the role of a lifetime. He's a grandparent, and he has turned that experience into two children's books which will be loved by grandparents as well. His first book, I Already Know I Love You, is a great gift for expectant grandparents or for grandparents to give to the expectant parents. Most of all, it is a wonderful book for grandparents to share with grandchildren, to let them know how eagerly their births were anticipated.

Crystal lacks the instincts of a natural poet. His verse sometimes lumbers rather than dances, and rhymes can seem strained: "I'm waiting to show you the stars, / storm clouds and the moon. / I want to make silly faces / and laugh just like a goon." Still, grandparents are bound to go all gooey at the book's closing couplet, "I'm going to be your grandpa, and ... / I can hardly wait."

The soft pastel illustrations by Elizabeth Sayles complement the text, depicting a wavy-haired grandpa and a brown-eyed granddaughter. Incidentally, Crystal didn't know the gender of his grandchild when he wrote the book. The expectant parents had chosen not to know, but the arrival of Ella Ryan put an end to the suspense, although not, I expect, to the fun. Having Billy Crystal for a grandpa must be quite a kick. I'm glad he decided to share some of the experience in I Already Know I Love You and his second children's book, Grandpa's Little One.