The House on East 88th Street

Lyle the Crocodile #1

by Bernard Waber

The first book in the Lyle series, this tells the story of how the Primms found Lyle the crocodile in the bathtub of their new home.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Fiction, Animals, Classics, Humor, New York

48 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1962

About the author

Bernard Waber was the youngest in a creative family. At age 8, he ushered in a movie theater after school, so he often saw only the last ten minutes of a movie. He made a game of inventing beginnings and middles. When he returned from a tour of duty in World War II, he entered the Philadelphia College of Art. With a diploma and a new wife, he traveled to New York City, where he began working for the Condé Nast magazines as an illustrator. Reading books to his three children inspired him to apply his pen and ink and watercolor style to his own picture books. His first book, Lorenzo, was built in 1961. Today, his characters are some of the most beloved in the library. He and his wife, Ethel, live on Long Island.

Reviews

[Darla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Seeing that Lyle has his own movie, I thought I should check out the picture book that brought Lyle to life sixty years ago. Bernard Waber gave us a book that will still be a delight to kids. When the Primms move into the house on East 88th Street, there is a strange SWSH, SWASH, SPLASH, SWOOSH sound coming from the bathroom. Thus begins the Primm family's adventures with Lyle in their home. He is part of the family. What will happen when his original owner comes back to take him on the road? Spoiler alert: there might be some crocodile tears. A delightful classic that is getting new life. I'm guessing the book is better.

[Luisa Knight · Rating 5 out of 5]

Here's another wonderful, and now favorite, character I missed in childhood! How does such catastrophes happen?! Surely I have a little gaping Lyle hole because of it.

Lyle is so sweet-natured and likable, he'll quickly work his way into your heart and home, just like he did to the Primm Family, that fateful day when they moved into the house on East 88th Street.

Ages: 4 - 8

Cleanliness: mentions a man's pipe.

**Like my reviews? I also have hundreds of detailed reports that I offer too. These reports give a complete break-down of everything in the book, so you'll know just how clean it is or isn't. I also have Clean Guides (downloadable PDFs) which enable you to clean up your book before reading it! Visit my website: The Book Radar.

[Victor The Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Primms’ new home in the city brings a shocking but charming surprise in the form of Lyle, a talented dancing crocodile 🐊 who becomes a loving new member of their family. Some crocodile tears but a wide winning smile. A (100%/Outstanding)

[Laura Harrison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stellar. One of the best picture books ever written by one of the best children's authors ever.

[Jo Oehrlein · Rating 3 out of 5]

Imagine moving into a house and finding a crocodile in the bathroom!
Imagine getting used to having a crocodile around the house because of how helpful and smart and entertaining he is!
Imagine that the crocodile leaves you.....
Now imagine that the crocodile returns.

A bit sad about how little agency Lyle has in all this. He is left behind because he is too expensive to feed. Then he is reclaimed when he is famous and can earn his keep.

[Chance Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

My first time reading this classic picture book about a family who is rich af and a crocodile lives in their bathtub and it's all an amazing fantasy. The art is simple, but detailed. Nicely chosen colors. Lyle's reveal is pretty subtle and amazing. Holding it all together is an interesting story about family and belonging.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ages 5-8.

This is the story of Lyle the Crocodile, who lives in a bathtub in the house on East 88th Street. He is very polite, does tricks, and helps with housework. Every home should have such a helpful crocodile.

This is a sweet classic, published in 1962. As such, it has interesting historical aspects to it that we don't have anymore: milk is delivered in glass bottles, you must talk to the operator before making a telephone call, and the primary method of communication is via letter.

The illustrations are largely black and white with only accents of color on most pages. For example, one page of Lyle doing tricks with a ball is colored only in green, black, and white. Although they are simple, they are nice to look at, and Lyle is drawn adorably.

The vocabulary is fairly simple, though some things will need to be explained to today's children who will not understand the concept of a telephone operator. There are some more complex words, like "coax," "appreciatively," and "furious."

I would read this aloud to young children, maybe Kindergarten through 2nd grade, for entertainment. There aren't many concepts to discuss or teach.

My only hesitation with this one is the old-fashioned depiction of male and female roles. Mrs. Primm does the cleaning and cooking and Mr. Primm reads the newspaper. This is only evident on a few pages, as most of the story is about Lyle. But it did catch my attention and would make me think twice.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been reading a lot of children's books because, well, I have children. And it's rare that I want to go on and on in a review about one of them, but I LOVED this book. Why didn't I discover it as a child? I certainly read enough then, and somehow, this book eluded me. From the watercolor illustrations, to the big, classic house setting, to the surprise houseguest, I JUST LOVED THIS ONE. It appealed to the inner child in this 35 year old body, and I was just smitten with the story. Absolutely lovely.

[Sarah Sammis · Rating 5 out of 5]

You've heard the rumors of crocodiles and alligators living in the sewers of New York City. You've heard the stories of the marvelous old brownstone with a horrific past. And yet they are so desirable, so charming, that people keep buying them, even the ones with dubious paths. That is the set up to The House on East 88th Street by Bernard Waber.

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[Panda Incognito · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's a classic for a reason! This first Lyle book is extremely charming, and I love how expressive and lovable he is. As a small child, I was scared of reptiles, snakes, and sharks, and I would try to avoid touching pictures of them when I was reading, but I loved Lyle dearly.

There are some dated details in the text and illustrations that parents will need to explain to their kids, but the strong sense of time and place are part of the book's appeal, and it's an educational opportunity.

[Elizabeth S · Rating 4 out of 5]

After a lifetime of enjoying Lyle, Lyle Crocodile books, I stumbled across this unknown (to me) Lyle book in the library. It was so much fun to read the story of how Lyle and the Primms first met. Overall, the book is just as engaging and fun as the others in the series.

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

I dunno. I have always liked saying "Lyle Lyle the Crocodile," apropos of nothing. Now I've finally read the book, and my inner curmudgeon isn't letting my inner child come out to play and enjoy this story. Maybe I'll have to try again. I will see if I can find another in the series.

[Villain E · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dated and wordy, but not bad. A family moves into the house on 88th street to find that the previous owner left behind a crocodile. A performing crocodile, who can do handstands and such and is very friendly. The family bonds with him, but eventually the previous owner comes back for him.

[CLM · Rating 4 out of 5]

We especially like this because my nephews' address IS East 88th Street, although the apartment in on Lexington.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my childhood favorites!! Love this story

[June · Rating 2 out of 5]

Really quirky.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

I remember reading the Lyle series (or at least a part of it!) when I was young. I'd forgotten what a delightfully silly read this was!

[Edward Sojuwa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bernard Waber's House on East 88th Street is The Volume that Started it All, the origin of the reptilian legend named Lyle the Crocodile. Not related to Lyle Waggoner (he can barely fit into the family station wagon!) or Lyle Lovett (though he loves everyone and everything.). Lyle is a stage croc owned by Hector Valenti, a veteran stage and film actor with aspirations for better things, and left on the doorstep of the prim Primm family, since Valenti can't afford Lyle's favorite and only (so far) dish, Turkish Caviar (although in real life caviar is not quite from Turkey). Normally a crocodile in a bathtub with a family just moved in is not expected to be the world's nicest reptilian, nor is expected to use kindness to change a city like.....New York, where those with a Care Bear mentality are the first to get killed. (Which is why I, formerly of New York myself, am glad to be living in Tampa Bay!) But Lyle's sweet spirit wins over the crowd, and the Primms are more than eager to have him part of the family. Which explains why Hector, down on his luck as an actor, wants his famous croc back. This story will likely cause certain newbies to scoff that such sappiness is non-existent. Possibly Martin Scorsese will make a darker, more badass live action epic that's all New York, and maybe Valenti will be portrayed by Al Pacino because Duh! (Of course the fx team will need overtime to come up with a cool ass croc creature). But I say: LOVE EXISTS! If love is a total CROCK....let that CROC be LYLE!!! L.Y.L.E-- LIVE YOUNG, LOVE ETERNALLY!
Five big stars
The croc still rocks!!!

[FM Family · Rating 4 out of 5]

These books about Lyle the Crocodile are weird, in that distinctly 70's way, and a bit long as books use to be too. But I like them, and so does my 3.5 year old. In this one the family moves into the house on East 88th street and meets Lyle the crocodile who is living in their bathtub and he soon becomes part of the family. There's a sort of surreal energy to the story and an overall silliness. If you're the type of reader who wouldn't appreciate a character being named "Hector P. Valenti, star of stage and screen" this is probably not the book for you. But if you are, check it out, it's silly.

[Amber · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of my favorite books from my childhood...!
I think I first saw it as a "movie" with each page as a scene. It was so cool, and the songs were catchy.
Lyle is a fancy, smart Crocodile who the family finds in their bathtub. He knows neat tricks and likes to show off his talent.
They get to know Lyle and he becomes part of the family, before his original owner comes searching for him. It's about friendship and family. And no matter how different one is, even if they're a Crocodile, they can mean something to someone. They can be part of the family.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enchanting story of the Primm family who move into a home on East 88th Street that comes with it's own crocodile, named Lyle, of course. Lyle helps with the chores and finds all sorts of things to get into and prefers to eat caviar. This is a short and silly book with big, vivid drawings of Lyle and the Primm family. It would be a great book for kids learning to read who are not yet ready for chapter books.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

My son loved it!

We saw the preview for the upcoming movie and my 5 year old son fell in love. He was excited to find out the movie was actually based on a book. Bought it today, read it with him twice already. Only disappointment is that the ebook file cannot be opened on a Kindle Paperwhite.

[Tiffany]

Was a time in the very early 90s when the little cartoon movie about Lyle, Lyle Crocodile based on this book was my biological brother's favorite thing in the whole world. Later he moved on to Disney's "The Jungle Book," but his first great love was the house on East 88th Street, and Lyle. What a wonderful little memory.

[Lynn Davidson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A family bought a house on 88th Street, and while moving in they discovered a crocodile in the bathtub. That crocodile, whose name is Lyle, entertained them with the hope that they will let him stay. Entertaining story.

[Mike Kimmel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my all-time favorite book as a child growing up in the Bronx. I can still remember wanting to venture by subway into Manhattan and walk up and down East 88th Street to try and find a house that matched the drawing on the cover. This book still holds up today – for me, at least.

[Cara Byrne · Rating 3 out of 5]

"SWISH, SWASH, SPLASH, SWOOSH. Loudly and clearly the sounds now rumbled through the house." Though written in 1962, this introduction to Lyle the crocodile stands up and was entertaining to my six year old in 2020 - though the view of the city and a number of small details needed to be explained.

[Alyssa Haverfield · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like this style of illustration. Lyle is so lovable and I’m glad he found his family. But this is an older book, and there isn’t much diversity in a city of people... Annoying. And the depiction of women as glued to housework is also a drag.

[Alyssa Miller · Rating 3 out of 5]

Loved the vocabulary in this classic children's tale. However I must say, just WHO does Signor Valenti think he is?! Shirking off his responsibilities and then returning for the fame and fortune only to leave again when it dissipates. His shadiness kind of taints this tale for me to be honest.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an adorable book about Lyle the Crocodile who lives with the Primm family on 188th Street. He is well-mannered and good at making beds. So when Signore Valenti comes to take Lyle away, the Primm family is devastated. Will Lyle go back to 188th Street?

[Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book. It is simple a classic.