Customer Reviews

I Loved You Before You Were Born

5 star:		(40)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

As a first time grandmother, I was so looking forward to getting this book. the book is beautiful and the pictures are so sweet. when I started to read it thought what a dissapointment! It is written by the point of view of a grandmother whose son and daughter-in-law is having a baby. one of the examples is "I remember when your daddy was growing inside my tummy" and I remember how your daddy had his favorite blanket when he was little". I want to keep this book and the only thing I can think of to do is get magic marker and change the "Daddys" and "His" to "Mommy" and "Hers". I thought this book was going to be written in general terms of grandma and new baby.

This is a fine book if you are the paternal grandmother, which I am not. Had I known it was written from the point of view of the paternal grandmother, I would not have ordered it. It just doesn't work for me, the maternal grandmother, and it was too late to send it back.

This book is well written and I really like it, but it has it's limitations. It is written like a letter from a paternal grandmother with a living spouse to a biological grandchild. The words could be easily changed to read from the perspective of a maternal grandmother, widowed grandmother or grandmother of an adopted grandchild (although, there is a picture of a pregnant mother on one of the pages). The words are sweet and endearing.

I am a grandma of 8 grandchildren under the age of 4 yrs old. I read this book and loved it! Eventhough I have 8 grandchildren, each one of their births have been very special, and this book says what my feelings have been for each one. I am so thankful I found this book in the library while looking for books for my 4 yr old grandson to read. Thank you Anne Bowen and Greg Shed for a beautiful book!

My daughter and I read daily but few books have moved us emotionally as this one. We both had tears in our eyes as she realized how much Grandma loved her even before she was born. This is a must have for all Grandchildren and Grandmothers. Just have a box of tissue nearby.

This is a wonderful, gentle story for all grandmas to read to their new grandbabies. It has all the joy and anticipation and tenderness and love of waiting for and then holding that wonderful baby. I read it to my two year old grandson this weekend and we both loved it. The illustrations are beautiful watercolors that greatly enhance the text.

A sweet idea for a book, however, it definitely has limitations. I'd hoped to buy a few to send to my friends who are becoming new grandparents. I was disappointed, though, when I saw that the grandparents depicted in the book are pictured as gray-haired and quite elderly. Most new grandparents I know do NOT look that old.
Also, I did not realize that the book was written for only the SON'S/FATHER's parents. It is clearly written from the point of view of the new father's parents, thus making it inappropriate to give to the parents of the daughter who had the baby.
There is no way to know that nuance from the title and could cause some embarrasment if unknowingly given to the parents of the daughter.

Anyone can easily identify with this book, which finds words to convey the magic and wonder that is felt before the arrival of a baby. Told from a grandmother's point of view, it honors children and shows the connection and sense of wonderment we have for them before their arrival, and once they are born. The art is perfectly matched to the lyrical text and I noticed the added bonus of each text page being a different pastel color. I will keep this book in mind the next time I hear a pregnancy announced.

In fact, I loved this book so much that I bought it two years ago and my first grandchild was only born last night. And, even though the sentiments expressed in this dear book are mine exactly, the picture of the 'grandmother' on the cover looks more like a 'great-grandmother!' This is my only criticism of the book. So, when I inscribe the book (which I believe all books should be), I shall tell my son's lovely little girl that I really look a lot younger.

This book is a love letter from a grandmother to her grandchild. Fortunately, the gender is not revealed so it's perfect for a girl or a boy. The grandmother is telling her grandchild that she thought about her (I'll say her since we have a girl), dreamed about her, wondered about her. She tries to imagine how this precious baby looks, and even visualizes her crawling, sleeping, and seeing her first Christmas tree.

The sweet last words of this book with the lovely pictures are, "When it was my turn, I held you close and rocked you and whispered, "I am your grandma and I love you." I LOVED YOU EVEN BEFORE YOU WERE BORN!" I can't wait to read this to my new granddaughter~~only she'll call me "Mormor"! I wish my Swedish grandparents and mother were here to see this precious gift.

This was disappointing. Beautiful, but....

It looked like a granny book. However, it is a granny AND grandpa book, so no good for the single grandmum like me. It also makes the assumption that the baby's FATHER is the child of the grandparents, so it's also no good for grandparents whose DAUGHTER is the child of the grandparents - "I felt you moving in mummy's tummy, just like your DADDY did in mine..."

I shall now have to use this book as a gift to other prospective grandparents who fit the book's assumptions. It could have been just as good a book without these preconceptions.