For the past eighteen years, Tim Hoppey has worked as a New York City firefighter. He is stationed in East Harlem, which is also the setting for Tito, the Firefighter/Tito, el Bombero. Firefighting has inspired much of the poetry and many of the childrens stories he has written over the years. He received a B.A. in English and History from Hobart College in Geneva, NY. When hes not fighting fires, he spends his time teaching his boys the finer points of lacrosse, sending money to his daughter in college, and working on his wifes latest home improvement project. Tito, the Firefighter/Tito, el Bombero is his first published childrens book. Kimberly Hoffman is an illustrator and a graphic designer who lives just outside Madison, Wisconsin. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Design Communication from the University of Minnesota. Ms. Hoffman has traveled and lived in Ghana, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, Africa. Zimbabwes culture has inspired her and she hopes to co-author a childrens story with her husband using this setting. When not busy with her artwork, Kimberly enjoys movies, bicycling, and Zabel, her orange-striped cat. Eida de la Vega is the Purchasing Manager for Lectorum Publications, the oldest and largest distributor of Spanish books in the country. She is also a translator of numerous childrens books and videos from English to Spanish. Eida began her career in 1997 as an Educational Assistant with Lectorum, and was promoted to her current position in 1998. Prior to joining Lectorum, Eida was a librarian with the National Library José Martí in La Habana, Cuba. She also worked as a researcher at the National Center for Scientific Research in La Habana. A native of La Habana, Eida is a graduate of the University of Havana. She currently resides in New Jersey with her husband and two children, 5 year-old Eric and 1 year-old Lila.