Dirk Zimmer facts for kids
Dirk Zimmer (born October 2, 1943 – died September 26, 2008), often called Dizi, was a talented German artist. He was also a well-known illustrator and writer of children's books in America.
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About Dirk Zimmer
Dirk Zimmer was born in Goslar, a town in Germany. He spent most of his childhood growing up in Hamburg. From 1963 to 1968, he studied art at the University of Fine Arts of Hamburg.
His Time in Germany
In 1965, Dirk Zimmer and some artist friends started an art group called Cruizin 4. This group was famous for two main events. One was an art show called Cruizin 4 at the Gallery Mensch in Hamburg. The other was a special art performance at a pub.
Dirk Zimmer, known as 'Dizi', had a short career as a painter in Germany. He was part of an exciting art movement there. Later, he started making films. By the late 1970s, he stopped filmmaking to become an illustrator. He drew pictures for American magazines like Crawdaddy and newspapers like The New York Times. His paintings and illustrations were shown in art galleries in New York, Germany, Switzerland, and France.
His Time in America
Dirk Zimmer moved to New York City for good in 1977. This is when he began his work as an illustrator for children's books. He also kept showing his artwork in New York. He lived in an apartment on John Street for many years. He also published short stories and comics in a German magazine called Boa Vista. From 1978 to 2004, Zimmer published more than 30 children's books.
Later, Zimmer moved to Barrytown, NY in the early 1980s. He then lived in the Rondout area of Kingston, New York. He also contributed to a local magazine called AboutTown. After that, he moved to Tivoli, NY. In 1990, he was one of a few illustrators who worked on The Big Book for Peace. This book was a collection of works by 34 artists and writers. Other famous illustrators like Maurice Sendak also worked on it.
His Special Style
Dirk Zimmer had a unique and fun style. His drawings were sometimes a bit strange or "grotesque," but always gentle and funny. This made him a popular choice for illustrating "scary" picture books. Two of his books were even chosen for the American Library Association Notable Book lists for children.
His book, The Trick-Or-Treat Trap, was the only one he wrote and illustrated himself. It received a lot of praise. The New York Times newspaper said his humor was "tongue-in-cheek." They wrote that "His pen has bite as he pictures a wonderfully wicked assortment of ornery little beings."
Books He Illustrated
In German
- 1982 Egon by Larry Bograd. Published by Carlsen Verlag in Reinbek bei Hamburg.
In English
- 1968 The Iron Giant: A Story in Five Nights by Ted Hughes
- 1978 Felix in the Attic by Larry Bograd
- 1980 Egon by Larry Bograd
- 1981 Mean Jake and the Devils by William H. Hooks
- 1983 Bony-Legs by Joanna Cole; Esteban and the Ghost by Sibyl Hancock
- 1984 In a Dark, Dark Room and Other Scary Stories by Alvin Schwartz
- 1985 Buster Loves Buttons by Fran Manushkin; Someone Saw a Spider: Spider Facts and Folktales by Shirley Climo
- 1986 Poor Gertie by Larry Bograd; Perrywinkle and the Book of Magic Spells by Ross Madsen
- 1987 Curse Squirrel Bk/Cass by Laurence Yep; The Naked Bear: Folktales of the Iroquois by John Bierhorst; Sky is Full of Song by Lee Bennett Hopkins
- 1989 Weird Wolf by Margery Cuyler; Windy Day: Stories and Poems by Caroline Feller; John Tabor's Ride by Edward C. Day
- 1990 The Big Book for Peace by Lloyd Alexander
- 1991 The Cow Is Mooing Anyhow: A Scrambled Alphabet to Be Read at Breakfast by Laura Geringer
- 1992 Moonbow of Mr. B. Bones by J. Patrick Lewis; The One That Got Away by Percival Everett
- 1994 Seven Spiders Spinning (The Hamlet Chronicles # 1) by Gregory Maguire
- 1995 Some Fine Grumpa! by Alan Arkin
- 1996 One Eye, Two Eyes, Three Eyes: A Hutzul Tale; The Great Turtle Drive by Steve Sanfield
- 1997 Perrywinkle's Magic Match by Ross Martin Madsen
- 2004 An I Can Read Halloween Treat by Michele Sobel Spirn
- 2006 Jake the Gardener: Guide Dog Digs Treasure by E. S. Aardvark
Books He Wrote and Illustrated
- 1982 The Trick-Or-Treat Trap, published by Harper & Row
Awards and Honors
- 1978 He won the Irma Simonton Schwarz Award from the Bank Street College of Education for his book Felix in the Attic.
