About the Creator Bill Zimmerman

Author Bill Zimmerman still remembers when as a boy the best day of the week was Sunday morning when his father would go out for newspapers and bring them back with their glorious comics sections. What joy! Bill would then spend the morning going over every comic strip, following the adventures of his favorite characters, looking at the beautiful illustrations and color pages and trying to spell out the words and stories in the balloons. Simply heaven! Growing up, he collected comic books by the hundreds, traded them with his friends, and wouldn’t sit down to a meal without a comic book by his plate.

Many years later, he wrote and created a comic activity book of his own called “Make Beliefs: A Gift for Your Imagination’’ which used drawings by illustrator Tom Bloom (the artist for this site) and asked magical questions which readers could respond to in the form of drawings and writings. This was followed by “Make Beliefs for Kids of All Ages.’’

A journalist and prize–winning newspaper editor, Zimmerman for 13 years created an interactive, syndicated Student Briefing Page for Newsday newspaper to teach young people about current events. It pioneered the use of interactive techniques found in his books to encourage young readers to express their opinions about the world they live in and brought in hundreds of thousands of letters. The page was nominated twice for a Pulitzer Prize. At Newsday, Bill also created a series of comic books to teach history and current events to young readers.

During the past 20 years Bill also has written 18 books. His work has been featured on the Today Show, PBS's acclaimed Ancestors Series, in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and such magazines as Family Circle, Parents, Esquire, Business Week, and Essence.

TOM BLOOM is an artist who finds an escape route in every blank piece of paper that passes across his desk. Over the years he has drawn for many books and publications, including The New York Times, Newsday, The Wall Street Journal, The New Yorker and National Geographic for Kids.