Bernard Waber, author of the Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile series and many other children's books, is the subject of an exhibition that opened yesterday at the National Museum of American Jewish History in Philadelphia, Pa. The exhibition, entitled "Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile and Friends: The Art of Bernard Wagner," runs until November 1 and includes more than 90 original illustrations, sketches, art supplies and other items. On October 25, the museum will host a panel discussion between Leonard Marcus, the exhibit's curator; Patrick Rodgers, curator at the Rosenbach of the Free Library of Philadelphia; and illustrator Paulis Waber, Bernard Waber's daughter.
Waber, who died in May 2013 at the age of 91, was born in Philadelphia in 1921. Over the course of his career he wrote 33 children's books, which have gone on to sell more than 1.75 million copies. His best-known books were those in the Lyle series, which began in 1962 with the publication of The House on East 88th Street.