Mary Budzik is the author of many children's (and adult) books, including Punctuation , Grammar and Creative Writing in the Basher Basics series as well as the bestselling Mythology in the Basher History range. She has a BA in English Literature from Boston College and an MA in English Literature from Columbia University. She lives in Connecticut, USA. From his first book The Periodic Table (2007) to his more recent, Basher Science: Engineering , Basher's unique illustration style of East meets West features a dash of graffiti artist and a large helping of wit added in. This "graphic surrealism" approach to illustration has intrigued and informed a whole generation of children and engaged them with learning important topics in a light-hearted and entertaining but informative manner.