Grandpa's Little One

Following up on the success of his bestselling book I Already Know I Love You, Billy Crystal celebrates the milestone of a child's first birthday and the first smile, swim, and giggle that go with the first year of a baby's life. Drawing once again from his own experience, Crystal captures the heartfelt emotions of a grandfather for his grandchild. Grandparents everywhere will recognize themselves in the words and pictures of this genuine and universal book.

Publishers Weekly

Crystal's granddaughter turns a year old in this emotion-charged follow-up to I Already Know I Love You. "Happy birthday, little sweet one,/ you're one year old today./ I gave you your first piece of cake,/ once Mommy said, `OK.' " Ironically, this talented comedian's stabs at humor tend toward the banal ("I'm glad it was hot out so we could/ go swimming in the pool./ I love to watch you do new things-/ all you used to do was drool"). More effective are revelations of simple yet precious moments, as the grandfather watches his daughter sharing a hug with her little one and delights in introducing the child to her image in the mirror. Porfirio's (The Littlest Angel) illustrations convey the affection between grandfather and his cherubic granddaughter. But in some images of the grandfather attempting to entertain the child, the narrator looks misshapen. The artist's other efforts, such as the antics of the affable family dog, which purloins a piece of birthday cake, and curls up at the foot of her crib at day's end, her birthday crown resting on its head, meet with greater success. Despite its occasionally stumbling rhythm and forced rhyme, Crystal's poem delivers sentiments that will likely strike a resonant chord with many grandparents. The author reads his narrative on an accompanying CD. All ages. (Apr.) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

Tony Award-winning comedian, director, actor, and author Billy Crystal is just as importantly a grandfather. He charmed children and grown-ups alike as the voice of Mike Wazowski in Monsters, Inc. and starred in the hilarious movies Analyze This and City Slickers and He recently set box-office records with his smash Tony Award-winning one-man show on Broadway, 700 Sundays. The father of two grown daughters, Jennifer and Lindsay, Billy Crystal lives with his wife, Janice, in California.