Lyle Finds His Mother (by Bernard Waber)

Hector Valenti, star of stage and screen, comes back into Lyle's life. Valenti, devoid of a partner to work with, has been starving. Seeing Lyle and the Primms in the park, he holds back from revealing himself because he is so ragged-looking. Instead he concocts a scheme to pretend to help Lyle find his mother in order to get him back in the act.

The Primms are suspicious, but Lyle wants to find his mother. He imagines what she could be like (in his dreams, she's a lot like Mrs. Primm) and soon can think of nothing else.

The Primms try to distract him with many activities, but in the end he must go. He and Valenti raise enough money to live well again, but Lyle finally makes Valenti initiate the search. In the end, Lyle finds his mother and happily brings her back to the Primms's house to live.

This book was written five years after the previous book, and Waber's artistic style has evolved. His line is more refined, filled with more detail and a diversity of color washes, but it has lost that simplicity that, in the first few books, inspired children to try their own drawings.

To watch the ever-optimistic Lyle stay focused on his mission, and not let money or fame get in the way, is to know why Lyle remains at the forefront of favorite characters in kids' books. The author doesn't hedge when it comes to integrity, friendship, and family values. The story is immediately absorbing and compelling. Humor and warmth radiate from the pages without sentimentality, a tricky business. This book about finding a mother should sit in the pantheon of well-loved stories on this topic.

Author: Bernard Waber
Illustrator: Bernard Waber
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Children's Books
Publication date: January 1, 1974
Number of pages: 48
Paperback price: $6.95