M. Dalton King is a Brooklyn-born New Yorker who has been publishing books, off and on, since the '90s. The first book she published was a tea book called SpecialTeas that was then followed by a much smaller, miniature book titled Tea Time. That little book graced the counters of gift shops just about everywhere for nearly a decade. Along the way, she wrote two other cookbooks and then, two books with doll themes. The first was a 'how to' on making miniature doll shoes and the second was on the art of miniature millinery. Both books were collaborations with Timothy J. Alberts and Pat Henry. And now, a new venture, the Hippo book. It's M. Dalton King's first effort at publishing a children's book and if all goes well, it will be the first in the What If... series. Marina Kushnir was born in Odesa, Ukraine, into a family of artists. She received her first drawing lessons from her parents. After graduating from the Odesa Art School, she continued her art studies at the Lviv Polygraphic Institute, from which she graduated with a degree in book illustration. In Ukraine and Russia, Marina has worked in the field of book illustration, design, and sculpture. In 1990, she moved to New York, where she lives and works to this day. Since 1999 Marina has been developing doll prototypes for doll companies, including the legendary Madame Alexander Doll Co.