Waber, Bernard (1921-2013), was an American children’s author and illustrator best known for creating the character of Lyle the crocodile. Lyle is a humorous and lovable crocodile who lives in New York City, New York. Critics and readers have praised the Lyle series for its wit and clever wordplay and for exploring the feelings and relationships that are part of the lives of younger children. Waber also illustrated the first eight books in the series. Waber’s daughter Paulis Waber illustrated the last book in the series, Lyle Walks the Dogs (2010).
Waber introduced Lyle in The House on East 88th Street (1962). In the book, Mr. and Mrs. Joseph F. Primm and their son, Joshua, find a crocodile in the bathtub of their new house. They make a home for the animal, whose previous owner had named him Lyle.
Waber also wrote other children’s books featuring animals. They include An Anteater Named Arthur (1967), The Snake: A Very Long Story (1978), A Lion Named Shirley Williamson (1996), and Evie and Margie (2003), about two hippopotamuses. Children are the central characters in Ira Sleeps Over (1972) and its sequel, Ira Says Goodbye (1988), as well as Gina (1995). In Courage (2002), Waber described the types of courage that people can show in their everyday lives. The book was influenced by the terrorist attack that destroyed the World Trade Center in New York City on Sept. 11, 2001. Ask Me, illustrated by Suzy Lee, was released in 2015, after Waber’s death. In the book, a father and his young daughter ask each other questions about their world as they walk through their neighborhood.
Waber was born on Sept. 27, 1921, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He attended the University of Pennsylvania, the Philadelphia College of Art (now part of the University of the Arts) from 1946 to 1950, and the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in 1950 and 1951. Waber was a graphic designer for LIFE Magazine from 1955 to 1972 and for People magazine from 1974 to 1988. He became particularly interested in creating children’s books in 1961. Waber died on May 16, 2013.
