Bill Zimmerman's MakeBeliefsComix Adds Content!

The Graphic Classroom's Chris Wilson covers the news. It looks like many of the new additions are characters who are disabled. Bill has been striving for inclusivity with his comics-making site, so this is a welcomed but not surprising development.

Review of *Your Life in Comics: 100 Things for Guys to Read and Draw*

Bill Zimmerman's Your Life in Comics attempts to give guys a chance to write their own comics in response to images and written words that act as prompts. The book is more like a journal or diary than a textbook and simply offers some visual stimulus to go along with prompts like "What's the hardest thing you've ever had to handle?" and "Did anything interesting happen at school today?"

There's the suggestion of reflection and introspection wrapped up in comics, so it doesn't look like a diary or a teacher's journal prompt even if it might feel like a collection of them to some. The blue benday-dotted cover doesn't suggest romance stories and unicorns at all, which also helps the subversive nature of the text, which seems to say, "Come on, guys! We know you have things to say! Why not write'em down?!?"

While marketed to dudes, the prompts are just as good for girls. In fact, it might be interesting to see how young girls would fill in the blanks of the word balloons mostly emanating from boys' mouths.

An intriguing feature of the text is that it comes "Internet connected," as is stated on the front cover. Zimmerman continues to upload new page images and prompts, so the book is ongoing, and so its influence for its readers.

I'm not sure if it is a book targeting boys or targeting teachers who will themselves target the hombres, but the concept behind the book is admirable, and, I hope, successful.

MAKEBELIEFSCOMIX.COM LAUNCHES COMIC STRIP CONTEST FOR LITERACY; WINNERS WILL RECEIVE FREE BOOK

MakeBeliefsComix.com is sponsoring a comic strip contest as part of its efforts to encourage students enrolled in literacy and English as Second Language programs to develop their language, writing and reading skills.

Each month students can submit by email their best comics created at the free online comic strip generator. Comics can be on any theme the student chooses. A selection will be posted periodically on the MakeBeliefsComix Facebook Wall and the winner of the best comic will receive a free book written by Bill Zimmerman, the creator of MakeBeliefsComix.com.

His books are used by educators to help students discover their writers’ voices and express what’s hidden within them. They include: MakeBeliefs: A Gift for Your Imagination; Pocket Doodles for Young Artists and Your Life in Comics: 100 Things for Guys to Write and Draw.

Contest rules: Classroom collaborative and individual submissions are encouraged each month. Books can be delivered to U.S. addresses only and winners will be notified via email. Winners under the age of 16 will be required to have an adult in the family or school provide the address for book delivery.

Comic strips created on the site should be sent to WmZ@aol.com, the email address of Bill Zimmerman. (For more information, go to: http://www.makebeliefscomix.com/Comix/MakeBeliefsComix_on_Facebook.php)

Since MakeBeliefsComix.com was launched four years ago, over 2 million people from 175 countries have visited this free educational resource. Google and UNESCO named MakeBeliefsComix as among the world's most innovative web sites that encourage reading and literacy, and Parents' Choice Foundation gave it the Recommended Award.

This year the American Library Association selected MakeBeliefsComix for its annual ‘’Great Web Sites for Kids ’’ listing. The site offers 80 different characters, blank talk and thought balloons to be filled in with text, story prompts and printables, and accepts text in English, Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese and Latin. Comics created can be printed and emailed.

The educational online comic strip site also has added another feature that enables users to post their comic strips on their very own Facebook walls to share with friends and family.

Bill Zimmerman's _Your Life in Comics: 100 Things for Guys to Write and Draw_ Now Available!

Bill Zimmerman continues his quest to blend comics and literacy for the sake of youth everywhere. With this particular effort, he's targeting those reluctant or hard-to-inspire boys who have been at the center of many a blog post here lately.

"The book has pages of situations in which readers fill in the characters' thought and talk balloons and point of view. Other activities encourage boys to draw full pages of comic strips with help from word and picture prompts. The book is geared for reluctant writers ages 9-13 and is part of my body of work over the years to help young people find their writers' voices," says Zimmerman.

Click this post's title to see more and to print sample pages that you can use with your youngsters!

Seriously, the samples are pretty cool, and the price of the book is just right at under ten bucks!

The book can be ordered from Amazon.com or at www.barnesandnoble.com or directly from the publisher, Free Spirit Publishing, at www.freespirit.com or by calling their toll-free number: 1-800-735-7323.

News from MakeBeliefsComix!

From Bill Zimmerman, creator of MakeBeliefsComix.com:

MAKEBELEIEFS COMIX LAUNCHES FREE SUMMER FUN FACEBOOK FEATURE FOR ESL, LITERACY STUDENTS; THEY’LL CREATE COMICS ON NEW THEMES EACH WEEK, AND SOME WILL BE POSTED ON OUR FACEBOOK WALL

Dear friend of MakeBeliefsComix,

I’m excited to let you know about some of the new things available on MakeBeliefsComix.com, the online comic strip generator used in literacy programs.

MakeBeliefsComix.com each week is posting a new theme or topic for students to create a comic strip with our comic strip generator and submit to us. After reviewing all submissions, we’ll select a sample to post on our Facebook wall.

'The theme for [the first week of August was]: ‘’You and Your Friend Share Happy or Funny Memories.’’

Our educational online comic strip site also has added another feature that enables users to post their comic strips on their very own Facebook walls.

Those who create a comic strip and send it to themselves will receive an email with two links: one to view and print the comic, and the other allowing them to post the comic to their Facebook wall to share with friends and family.

Posting or publishing these comic strip creations in a public arena helps validate all the effort a youngster puts into creating the comic.

Since MakeBeliefsComix.com was launched four years ago, over 2 million people from 175 countries have visited our free educational resource.

Google and UNESCO named us as among the world's most innovative web sites that encourage reading and literacy and we won the Parents' Choice Foundation’s Recommended Award.

This year the American Library Association selected MakeBeliefsComix for its annual ‘’Great Web Sites for Kids ’’ listing.

The site offers 80 different characters, blank talk and thought balloons to be filled in with text, story prompts and printables, and accepts text in English, Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese and Latin.

Our site is used by educators to teach language, reading and writing skills in an easy, fun way. It also is used by students in English as a Second Language programs to facilitate self-expression and storytelling, as well as to gain computer literacy.

Some educational therapists use the online comics for children with autism or for those who are deaf to help them understand concepts and communicate. Parents and children also can create stories together, print them to create comic books or email them to friends. There also are printables and writing prompts on the site.

Please try the new summer fun feature with your students and children! We want to be the best educational web site we can be for you. We hope you will share what we are doing with your colleagues, your family, and friends.

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Bill really is doing some great work, so I hope you'll consider checking out his site.

As well, later this month his new interactive comic book for boys, Your Life in Comics: 100 Things for Guys to Write and Draw, will be issued by Free Spirit Publishing. Readers will be able to help create the book by filling in talk and thought balloons for different situations, as well as creating their own comic strips within the book.

Interactive comics assisting literacy, creative writing, and composition! Gotta love it!!!