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Nearly 50 years ago, Bernard Waber introduced a lovable crocodile named Lyle in The House on East 88th Street. Lyle was a big hit with readers: that inaugural picture book and seven subsequent Lyle the Crocodile books have sold more than 1.5 million copies in the U.S. alone. Now, 12 years after his last book appearance, Lyle returns in Lyle Walks the Dogs: A Counting Book written by Bernard Waber and illustrated by his daughter, Paulis Waber, who is making her children's book debut. Aimed at a younger audience than the earlier Lyle stories, the book will be published (as have all the others, by Houghton Mifflin) next month.

Lyle Walks the Dogs, in which industrious Lyle lands a job as dog walker for 10 diverse canines, is the first Lyle title Bernard Waber hasn't illustrated. For the last few years, the creator of more than 30 children's books has been unable to illustrate due to failing eyesight, a result of macular degeneration. His decision to pass the reins over to his artist daughter Paulis was hardly sudden.

"I think it's always been in the back of my head to have her take over with Lyle, but it was precipitated when I developed macular generation," he explains. "I always wanted Paulis choose her own direction with her writing and illustrating and didn't want to burden her with something I'd done. But she said she was interested in doing it and happy to do it."

"As an artist myself, and as someone very involved in my father's work, this seemed a natural step for me to take," Paulis concurs. "For a long time we had talked about doing something together, and then as his vision began failing we got more serious about it. And he had talked for a while about doing some Lyle books for younger readers, so that's how Lyle Walks the Dogs came to be."

Paulis concedes that stepping into the role of Lyle's illustrator was intimidating. "My father's talent, the fact that Lyle was his original creation, and the great popularity of these books did create apprehension for me," she says. Yet she notes that a number of things helped ease her concern. "One was my closeness to Lyle," she notes. "He really does somehow remind me of my father, and he's been a part of my life for so long that he seems very real. He is so sweet, self-effacing, and concerned with other people. Doing this book, it helped that I knew Lyle so well because I know my father so well."

After Bernard wrote the story, Paulis contributed her ideas (though she remarks that the final decisions were "totally my father's"). They then spent quite a bit of time walking the streets and parks of New York, taking photos of dogs and their owners, which Paulis used to help create her watercolor, ink, and pencil illustrations. She also drew from her father's descriptions of what Lyle's face would look like in various situations-often he'd make the face himself to demonstrate.

Bernard's open-minded approach to Paulis's art for the book also helped alleviate her apprehension about following in his footsteps. She recalls that he shared a great deal with her about how he had created his Lyle books. "He was always saying that he refined and changed his techniques so much that there really wasn't any exact way to illustrate Lyle," she says. "His willingness to see Lyle continue to evolve as the work emerged from my hands was very reassuring. He never made me feel that I had to work exactly in his style in order to successfully capture Lyle and his world."

Creating this book (which Paulis notes was also facilitated by the enthusiasm and support of her husband, as well as the book's editor, Mary Wilcox, and art director Scott Magoon) was not without some sadness. "It's a little sad knowing that illustrating books, which means so much to my father and to which he's made such a contribution, is not available to him now," she says. "But he still has the stories and the interest, so I am happy I can lessen that sadness a bit by picking up his work and continuing it."

Bernard, who with the aid of magnifying equipment was able to see his daughter's renderings of Lyle, knew early on that Paulis had captured the essence of the popular croc. "Oh, she did that very well," he says. "I didn't envy her this job, since it was a big challenge. I think it took a lot of courage, but I knew that she could do it."

In addition to assuming the mantle of Lyle's illustrator, Paulis has inherited the paint-spattered drawing board on which her father worked for decades (and which he's replaced with an updated light board). "It is very comforting to have his drawing board," she remarks. "You can see splotches of green paint on it and know that is Lyle. I am delighted to work on it."

Bernard and Paulis are now collaborating on a second Lyle story for preschoolers, Lyle, Lyle, Hello, Hello. Due from Houghton Mifflin in fall 2011, it takes Lyle on an excursion through New York City. And the Wabers expect they will work on subsequent Lyle adventures together. Paulis also hopes that the book projects she has developed on her own over the years, while raising three children, will be published "and take on a life of their own."

To pay homage to her father, Paulis has replicated the art Bernard created for the dedication page of The House on East 88th Street on the dedication page of Lyle Walks the Dogs. Bernard dedicated that 1962 book to Paulis; the two have dedicated the new book to each other. "My father and I have always been great friends and doing this book together added a new dimension of collaboration to a relationship I've always found harmonious and sustaining," says Paulis.

To promote the book, which has a 25,000-copy first printing, Houghton Mifflin has created postcards and a new Lyle costume that is available to booksellers planning events. The Wabers are scheduled to visit several New York City bookstores, including Books of Wonder, which will host a launch party on May 22.

Lyle Walks the Dogs by Bernard Waber, illus. by Paulis Waber. Houghton Mifflin, $12.99 May ISBN 978-0-547-22323-0

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