Pocket Doodles for Kids Review

When I saw Pocket Doodle for Kids by Bill Zimmerman, I had to request a closer look. This fun little (4 x 6 inch) book is filled with word and picture prompts to encourage kids (and adults!) to draw, color and doodle. It is small enough to stash in a purse, backpack, glove compartment or just about anywhere.

“Drawing and writing are fun activities and provide a great way for kids to catch their breath and take a break from so many of the difficult things they face in life, like peer pressure at school, bullying, or even family problems,” says Zimmerman. “I was raised in a family where there were always arguments and money troubles, and I coped by lying on the living room floor and drawing with my crayons or writing. Through my imagination (my favorite place), I was able to carve out a better, safer world, and that's what I'm trying to do for young people with my website and with 'Pocket Doodles,' too.”

Here are a couple of sample prompts:

Another Zimmerman treasure is www.makebeliefscomix.com, a free website that enables users to build, write, print and email to friends and relatives their own comic strips, using 15 pre-drawn characters with different moods, text bubbles, and their choice of seven languages: English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Latin and Portuguese. NEW TO THE SITE are “Printables,” pre-drawn comic strips and single-screen comics, ready to print and illustrate. (Access Printables at http://www.makebeliefscomix.com/Printables/.)

Zimmerman’s work as a journalist, author and teacher, has been geared to helping kids grow creatively and find their own special voices through writing and drawing.

Here is a sample of my work. The assignment was to make the helmet look "cool". I don't know if I am going to let my son use the book. I may keep it for myself!