Redlass's Full Review: Bernard Waber - Lyle, Lyle Crocodile: Teacher Guid...
Into my childhood a crocodile strode. He stayed long enough to teach me tolerance, kindness, and how to love my neighbor. Then he strode out again, staying absent until I became a mom.
Before you read any further, let me tell you the important part of this review. After you finish reading this review, you need to click over to each of these wonderful people, and read the book review that they are posting today (May 31, 2000): forkids, Leah, gracef, caconti, cornelia, conradd, stonehousellc, Grouch, auntnono, halfsweet, taurusmoon, DoubleCoog, caravan70, kcfoxy, mshawpyle, sleestakk, kchowell, emlin, CurtisEdmonds, fdknight, WorkingMomof2, expono, kimmiko, Bonies7, pogomom, poseidon, jrk, sweetpaulie, and ErgoPropterHoc.
If that's too many names to remember and you don't have a pen handy, just follow this link: http://treehouse.epinions.com/book-Write_off-forkids <http://treehouse.epinions.com/book-Write_off-forkids>
Why? 'Cause we're all celebrating forkids' 400th review with a Write-Off about our favorite children's book. You can bet the crowd above is going to have some fantastic, not-to-be-missed reviews that will have you running out for the library or clicking over to Amazon post-haste. What a thrill for me to be in such august company for my first write-off.
Why this book?
When forkids first described this write-off, I wondered how in the world I was going to pick a single favorite book. It's like asking the old woman who lives in a shoe which child she loves the most. I could easily pick a different "favorite" book for every age. And yet there was a book that stuck out in my memory. It's one that continues to be dear to me. The book is Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile by Bernard Waber.
Perhaps it sticks out in my memory because mention of this book was informally banned from our home for a while. The very title of it would anger my brother to the point of tears. You see, my brother's name is Lyle. He has had to overcome and live with numerous disabilities and was very understandably sensitive about the constant barrage of teasing to which he was subjected. Kids who called out "Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile" were some of the more gentle children he had to endure. We, his family, assumed it was simply the name of the book that caused him to be so angry. Perhaps. But reading this book again, I wonder if there wasn't more to it.
We're told that Lyle takes everything literally and is not able to interpret literature or see symbolic meanings. Yet, I look at this story and can't help but think that perhaps my brother's aversion to this book sprang out of its too painful truths: That there will be people who hate or fear you just because of who they think you are and they may never take the time to find out who you really are.
Waber's Book
Let me back up and tell you about the book. When it first arrived from Amazon, I felt like I was being thrown violently on the deck of the nostalgia yacht. Just a glance at the cover and I could hear the engines roaring. Each page I turned took me further out on the sea of memories.
I'm going to let you in on a bit of my quirkiness. I like to fully experience books. So it matters to me how they look, the type of print, and the smell. Yes, the smell. There is no smell more satisfying than that of fresh ink on a paper. And each printing house has its own distinct smell. Smelling this book reminded me of all the joys I got from picture books as a child.
Does Lyle look any different than any other crocodile? Not really. When my son saw the book, he promptly named him an alligator. Yet, Lyle is distinctive. You know how you can tell your orange tabby cat from all the other neighborhood tabby cats? That's how Lyle is different from all the other crocodiles. Or maybe it's his smile. He's definitely different from the rest of his family, who are all humans.
Ultimately, Lyle is a very cheerful and happy crocodile. He lives on East 88th Street with the Primm family. The names in this book are a lot of fun. The book has a completely urban setting with the "house" actually being a rather spacious apartment building in a big city.
Waber has anthropomorphized Lyle, yet Lyle never speaks. He's very human-like in other ways. He eats at the dining room table with the family (and if you believe the illustrations, every meal is eaten with candlelight and wine for the adults) and helps the son Joshua with his math homework.
Unfortunately, there is a dark spot in Lyle's happy life. While he is most civilized, friendly, and courteous, the neighbors don't like him. The neighbors are Mr. Grump and his cat Loretta. Loretta goes into a nervous fit any time she sees Lyle and has no interest in getting to know him. When Lyle tried flashing his sweetest, most toothsome smile at her she went into full cat panic mode. If you're a cat owner you've seen it: The tail goes up in the hair, the fur stands on end, and noises like a leaky balloon emit from the feline critter. So Mr. Grump comes running out of the apartment yelling at Lyle and saying that something will have to be done about that crocodile.
So Lyle relents a little in attempting to be friends with Loretta. Instead he plays with the neighborhood kids. Even that gets him in trouble when Loretta is out walking and catches sight of him high jumping. She is once again frighted by him. This time she runs up a tree and won't come down. Once again, this is blamed on Lyle. If he weren't so different, his presence wouldn't cause such alarm. I mean, we all know crocodiles are dangerous-even if they appear harmless and friendly. What were the Primms thinking?
So now Mrs. Primm steps in. She decides its best to keep Lyle out of sight for a while. They do all sorts of wonderful, normal family things together: go shopping, go ice skating, have picnics, etc. The wonderful illustrations which Waber also did) show how much family love they have for each other.
But then they end up at the shopping mall where Mr. Grump works. Lyle is separated from Mrs. Primm through no fault of his own and ends up being reacquainted with Signor Valenti, with whom he used to tour and do shows. Signor Valenti talks him into putting on a performance for the store's customers. They do so and it's a big hit until Mr. Grump shows up. Lyle is
making a spectacle! It's embarrassing! He ought not be in public where other people can see him. He ought to be put somewhere different, somewhere with other crocodiles like him. Or at least, so says Mr. Grump as he throws him out and fires Signor Valenti for failing to hold to the party line.
Sure enough, Mr. Grump manages to get legal papers to ship Lyle off to the zoo, much to the sadness of the family and the discomfort of Lyle. Fortunately, Waber leaves us with a happy ending-and one that shows how virtue really behaves. Lyle is truly a kind critter-even to those who were most cruel to him. Even though Mr. Grump has deprived him of his home and the people he loves, Lyle doesn't hesitate to save his life and the life of his cat. And this heroic act finally sounds the wake-up clarion to Mr. Grump.
While the book is targeted at children from age four through eight, it can certainly be enjoyed outside of those age ranges. My son, who is two, and I go through and look at the pictures. Sometimes he even lets me read a few pages to him. Actually, that is one of the nice things about the book. While some pages may have 40-50 words, others have one or two shorter sentences, keeping the pace varied and the interest high.
There isn't very much dialog in this book. Indeed, the only people who have any lines at all are Mrs. Primm, Signor Valenti, Mr. Grumps, and some of the anonymous store workers.
About Waber
Before starting this review, I would have said that the books in the Lyle series were the only Waber books I had read. But then I saw the list of he other books he's written (a total of 17 picture books for kids) and other familiar ones surfaced:
* Ira Sleeps Over
* An Anteater Named Arthur
* "You Look Ridiculous." Said the Rhinoceros to the Hippopotamus
While I haven't kept up on the adventures of Lyle, Waber wrote his most recent installment in 1994, Lyle at the Office. Here's betting that Lyle's corporate behavior is nothing like Dilbert or his cohorts. Lyle's geniality can only brighten the corporate world. While I have many great co-workers, I sure wish he worked with me.
Waber has also netted a long list of awards, including a Lewis Carroll Shelf Award for Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile. He has sold almost one million Lyle books in many languages, including German, Dutch, and Japanese.
Waber says he was a big fan of both movies and books as a child and credits them as his creative inspiration. The influence of movies is readily apparent in the beautiful illustrations he makes for his books. The pictures and words interact to tell the story, each being incomplete without the other.
When he wasn't writing children's books, he worked as a commercial artist and graphic designer for such well-known publications as Seventeen, Life, and People.
Back to Lyle
Reading this book as an adult has changed my perspective on it. Before, it was a sweet story where the nice guy comes out ahead. Now the details have become much more important and pregnant with meaning:
1. Lyle is a beloved member of the family.
2. Lyle is different from the others in noticeable ways.
3. Lyle's differences are not understood by some of the neighbors.
4. Some of Lyle's neighbors think he should be segregated from the rest
of society because he is different.
5. Lyle has a generous and kind heart.
6. Lyle wants to be friends with even those who dislike and threaten him.
7. Lyle does all the things with his family that other people do.
8. Lyle doesn't hold grudges or associate the bad memories with the people who were part of those memories.
9. Lyle is a crowd pleaser.
10. There are those who would exclude Lyle from doing what others do simply because he is different, ignoring his capabilities or skills.
11. Lyle is kind and loving. The cruelty of other people hurt him, but he does not use that as an excuse to behave in a similar fashion.
12. Lyle acts on his good nature, even to the people who deserve it least.
Its hard to imagine how loveable Lyle--the helpful, happy crocodile--could cause a neighborhood feud. But that is just what had happened. Lyle was mak...More at Christianbook.com
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