Bernard Waber Books in Order
38 books are credited to Bernard Waber, published between 1962 and 2022; 4 of them appeared after Bernard Waber's death in 2013. The first book is The House on East 88th Street (1962) and the newest is Lyle and Friends (2022). Publication order is the reading order below.
- Books
- 38
- Published
- 1962–2022
- Pages on record
- 1,445 in 28 of 38 books
- Reading time
- 24–36 hours
Reading time is an estimate, not a recorded figure: 1,445 pages at 300 words a page, read at 200–300 words a minute, covering the 28 of 38 titles with a page count on record.
Bernard Waber was an American children's author, best known for the Lyle the Crocodile books. The House on East 88th Street (1962) introduces Lyle, and Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile (1965), Lyle and the Birthday Party and Lovable Lyle continue the run; a second series follows a character named Ira. Waber's 38 catalogued titles date from 1962 to 2022 and average 48 pages, with crocodiles, cats, mice, friendship and family life among the listed subjects. Waber lived from 1921 to 2013.
How many Bernard Waber books are there?
Bernard Waber has 38 books, released between 1962 and 2022. 4 of them were published after Bernard Waber's death in 2013. They include 2 series and 24 titles listed outside any series.
Bernard Waber Books in Publication Order
The table lists all 38 Bernard Waber books in the order they were published, with the release year, the page count where one is on record, and how many independent book listings confirm each title. Catalogue data as of September 2026.
- 11962481/4
- 2Rich Cat, Poor Cat1963 · 48 pages · confirmed 1/41963481/4
- 3Just Like Abraham Lincoln1964 · confirmed 1/41964–1/4
- 41965481/4
- 51966481/4
- 6You Look Ridiculous, Said the Rhinoceros to the Hippopotamus1966 · 32 pages · confirmed 1/41966321/4
- 7An Anteater Named Arthur1967 · 48 pages · confirmed 1/41967481/4
- 8A Rose For Mr. Bloom1968 · confirmed 1/41968–1/4
- 91969481/4
- 10A Firefly Named Torchy1970 · 29 pages · confirmed 1/41970291/4
- 11Nobody Is Perfick1971 · 128 pages · confirmed 1/419711281/4
- 121972481/4
- 131974481/4
- 14I Was All Thumbs1975 · 48 pages · confirmed 1/41975481/4
- 15But Names Will Never Hurt Me1976 · 32 pages · confirmed 1/41976321/4
- 16Mice on My Mind1977 · 48 pages · confirmed 1/41977481/4
- 17Goodbye, Funny Dumpy-Lumpy1977 · 64 pages · confirmed 1/41977641/4
- 18The Snake: A Very Long Story1978 · 48 pages · confirmed 1/41978481/4
- 19You're a Little Kid with a Big Heart1980 · 47 pages · confirmed 1/41980471/4
- 20Dear Hildegarde1980 · 64 pages · confirmed 1/41980641/4
- 211987–1/4
- 221988381/4
- 231994481/4
- 24Do You See a Mouse?1995 · confirmed 1/41995–1/4
- 25Gina1995 · confirmed 1/41995–1/4
- 26A Lion Named Shirley Williamson1996 · 40 pages · confirmed 1/41996401/4
- 27Bearsie Bear and the Surprise Sleepover Party1997 · 40 pages · confirmed 1/41997401/4
- 281998481/4
- 29The Mouse That Snored2000 · 32 pages · confirmed 1/42000321/4
- 30Fast Food! Gulp! Gulp!2001 · 32 pages · confirmed 1/42001321/4
- 31Courage2002 · confirmed 1/42002–1/4
- 32Evie and Margie2003 · 32 pages · confirmed 1/42003321/4
- 332010–1/4
- 3420121791/4
- 35Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile & Friends2014 · confirmed 1/42014–1/4
- 36Ask Me2015 · confirmed 1/42015–1/4
- 372022321/4
- 382022–1/4
Bernard Waber series in order
The series linked below has its own reading-order page.
- Lyle the Crocodile books in order 12 books
Bernard Waber books grouped by series
Each title below is a row in the publication-order table above. None of these groups has a reading-order page of its own on this site.
Ira in order
2 booksStandalone books
24 books24 Bernard Waber titles here are not listed as part of any series.
Do you have to read Bernard Waber books in order?
You only need to read Bernard Waber books in order within each series: the books listed here span 2 separate series, and each series has its own publication order.
Where to start with Bernard Waber
Start with The House on East 88th Street (1962), the first Lyle the Crocodile book. It is also the earliest catalogued title.
What is the newest Bernard Waber book?
Lyle and Friends (2022) is the newest Bernard Waber book released so far.
Is there a new Bernard Waber book coming?
No next Bernard Waber book is announced in the catalogue, which is a gap in the listings it merges rather than a sign that the run has ended.
Bernard Waber at a glance
- Died
- Bernard Waber died in 2013, according to Wikidata.
- After death
- Books credited to Bernard Waber are still being published after Bernard Waber's death in 2013; the newest appeared in 2022.
- Release pace
- Bernard Waber books have appeared about one every 2 years on average.
- Length
- 1,445 pages across the 28 of 38 books with a recorded length, a median of 48 pages each.
- Busiest decade
- Most Bernard Waber books, 9 of 38, were published in the 1970s.
What the Bernard Waber books are about
34 of the 38 Bernard Waber books carry subject tags in Open Library's catalogue. The subjects below are the ones that recur across them, most frequent first: children's fiction is tagged on 27 of 34. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.
- Children's fiction 27 of 34 books
- Crocodiles 10 of 34 books
- Friendship 6 of 34 books
- Animals 5 of 34 books
- Cats 4 of 34 books
- Picture books 4 of 34 books
- Lyle the crocodile (fictitious character) 3 of 34 books
- Mice 3 of 34 books
- Stories in rhyme 3 of 34 books
- Birthdays 2 of 34 books
- Conduct of life 2 of 34 books